The Federal Government has suspended its plan to sell 50kg bags of rice to civil servants at the subsidised rate of N40,000 per bag.
The decision was communicated via a circular entitled ‘Withdrawal of Internal Circular on Sale of Subsidized Rice to Public Servants’, signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs (Human Resources Management Department).
The circular, which was addressed to Directors and Heads of Departments, read, “I am directed to refer to our internal circular in the Ministry (Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs) of 1st August, 2024 on the above subject matter and to inform you that the Internal Circular is hereby withdrawn.
“Further details will be communicated in due course. Please bring the contents of this internal circular to the attention of staff in your respective Departments and Units for their information and proper guidance.”
No reason was provided for withdrawal of the plan.
This is coming after many civil servants had registered for the subsidised rice following a previous memo from the ministry, dated August 1, and signed by the Director of Human Resource Management, Mrs Jaiyesim Abimbola Aderonke, which outlined the procedure for civil servants to purchase the rice.
The Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, had while announcing the plan, said the government intended to mitigate the effects of the current food crisis by offering 50kg bags of rice at a subsidised rate to civil servants in Abuja.
The fate of the civil servants who had put their hopes in the subsidised rice is now unknown as the Federal Government has yet to announce a way forward.
