“We appeal that the vouchers should be issued to only those eligible to benefit in the programme and the food items should be given in the approved quantities to the beneficiaries.

“As the governor has repeatedly emphasized, this programme is only a temporary intervention and not a sustainable solution to the current food crisis. The governor has directed that we all go back to the farm in order to achieve food sufficiency. Through various initiatives, the governor is leading agricultural revolution in the state which is a key part of his ARISE Agenda.

“At the Local Government level, we are translating the governor’s policy in this regard. For instance, we recently launched a Back-To-Farm Initiative, where we distributed agriculture seedlings such as 500 high quality cassava stem bundles,187 bags of maize, 445 sachets of okra, 450 grams of pepper and, Melon seeds to farmers across the 87 Gazetted villages in the Local Government Area,” she said.

Hon Bassey assured that her administration was committed to helping indigenes of the area overcome the present challenge, adding that she was not going to relent in the quest for solutions to the problems facing the people.