Oyo State Government on Friday indicated that it might return the 1,800 bags of rice donated to the state by the Federal Government as COVID-19 palliative on the grounds that the rice had been infested with weevils.

The state government took delivery of the three trailer loads of rice through the Nigeria Customs Service on Monday.

Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness, Mr Debo Akande, explained that the 1,800 bags of rice from the Federal Government had spoilt.

Akande said, “We received these items from the Federal Government via Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and we brought them to the warehouse. It was in the process of further inspection that we discovered that the rice had been infested with weevils.

“On that basis, we formed a committee to re-inspect it so we can be sure of what we have received.

“We don’t want to create another problem while providing solution to one. We have inspected it; we have done random selection and we have seen that similar things apply across the board.

“We have agreed to return them to the source but if there are good ones with good quality that could be sent to us as replacement, we will be glad to receive them.”

Akande promised that the situation would not in anyway delay the planned distribution of palliatives by the state government.

He added, “We all know that a good number of food items have been received by the Food Security Committee of the Task Force and they would be distributed in the next couple of days. We have in place a robust system for distribution and that we have finalised on it.”

Punch