Outspoken archbishop of Enugu Anglican Diocese, Dr. Emmanuel Olisachukwuma, has flatly rejected bags of rice sent as palliative for his members to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
Chukwuma who was visibly livid at the gesture noted that it was an insult that they were given 200 bags of rice to share wondering what the people would take home.
The Anglican archbishop who made the rejection at the Cathedral of Good Shepherd, Independence Layout, Enugu could not hide his anger.
“Having seen some of the bags of rice called palliatives for the people of Enugu state, we feel dejected and very much disappointed that even the 200 bags for each ward, that the local government chairman withdrew five bags from it.
“Two, how do you expect this type of palliative to cushion the effect of the subsidy for the people that you are saying palliative? Five persons per a 20kg bag of rice. So we are feeling that federal government palliative for Nigerians is insulting, it’s disgraceful and it’s a failure, it’s fraud and we completely reject it.
“For me as Archbishop Chukwuma, I will not accept this type of rice as palliative, it’s an insult to the people. And so I am calling on the federal government and state government to look into it properly, that this is not a palliative that can cushion anything at all.
“It is a way of insulting the people, creating more hunger and we feel that if federal government is sincere, which I feel they are not sincere about the palliatives, It think Labour should go ahead with their strike because what the Labour is talking about is still what we are seeing now, insincerity of the government.
“The palliative is a disgrace, is a failure, to cushion any effect of fuel subsidy removal. So for me I feel disappointed to see this type of rice which is already getting spoilt to be distributed to human beings, whoever is responsible should please come and withdraw it. We reject it and we cannot accept it, is a failure. Federal government palliative is a failure and not a sincere way of cushioning the effect of fuel subsidy removal for Nigerians.”
