The Ondo State Food Palliative Committee has denied rejecting the 1,800 bags of rice donated to the state by the Federal Government aimed at cushioning the effects of the lockdown on the people due to the spread of COVID-19.
The denial was contained in a statement issued by the spokesman of the committee, Alex Kalejaiye, and made available to journalists on Monday in Akure.
“It’s pertinent to react to the publication in some national newspapers that the Ondo State Government has rejected the bags of rice supplied to it by the Federal Government.
“For the records, the story is untrue and sensational.
“At no time did the state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, instruct that the rice meant to assist the state in combating food insecurity as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic be rejected and returned to Abuja,” he said
Meanwhile, with the announcement by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), that another 81 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded, Nigeria now has a total of 1, 273 confirmed cases of the viral disease.