Deputy Governor Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo who represented the Governor, Senator Douye Diri at the event commended Aliko Dangote for his philanthropic gesture and lucrative partnership with the state government in agriculture by accepting to be the off taker of the rice been cultivated in the state.
He said: "The Bayelsa State government has a very lucrative and viable relationship with the Dangote Group; we want to thank Alhaji Aliko Dangote for the relationship that he has established with us.
"We want to thank Dangote in the area of been a off taker for our rice production. We are also looking forward to the issue of building a mill by the farm clusters and settlements
"We want to commend Dangote for conquering greed through his philanthropic virtues in the past 30 years. I want to urge us to emulate his acts of giving."
Speaking during distribution exercise, the Head of Operations, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Edero Victor Ejiro, said the initiative is part of the foundation’s annual National Food Intervention Project, which aims to support over one million disadvantaged Nigerians across the country.
He stated that the foundation will be distributing 10,000 bags of 10kg rice to the vulnerable population in the state.
He pointed that the Foundation's distribution is across the 774 local government areas in the country and is intended to cushion the effects of the hardship currently being experienced in the country.
His words: "We are here to present 10,000 bags of 10kg rice to the people of Bayelsa. The Aliko Dangote Foundation has been in existence for over 30 years and has been helpful in the areas of empowerment, nutrition and education.
"This distribution of rice is to support and complement the food security initiative that is been put in place by the various state governments and the rice distribution is across the 774 local government areas in the country. Our target beneficiaries are market women, the vulnerable, physically challenged people, widows and artisans.
"We have seen the template that the state government wants to use to distribute the rice and we are impressed with what we saw, and we believe that they are going to do a thorough job by distributing the rice to the needy and vulnerable in our midst.
"This programme is to support families, support people in the grassroots to alleviate and back up synergy with the state government."
Also speaking the Chairman Bayelsa State chapter of Joint National Association of People with Disability, (JNAPWD), Ekpomokumor Mayor, expressed appreciation to the Aliko Dangote Foundation for reaching out to them by putting food on their table in these trying times and commended the Bayelsa State government for selecting them to be part of the beneficiaries. With the flag off, the distribution exercise now shifts to the eight local governments in the State where the various councillors will ensure that the rice gets to the intended targets in their wards.
