The Bayelsa State Government on Wednesday, began distribution of foodstuffs to the various local government areas in the state for onward distribution to the people as parts of efforts of palliatives to cushion the efforts of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Distributing the foodstuffs mainly garri and guinea corn, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Major Zedekiah Isu, rted, who supervised the exercise, said the food items were  brought by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, last year to cushion the effect of the 2019 flood season.
On why the delay in the distribution of the food items, the SEMA chairman who is also a member of the state COVID-19 task force, attributed it to NEMA officials, adding that it took the intervention of the state Governor Senator Douye Diri before the items were released for distribution almost four months after they were sent to the state.
He pointed out that over five thousand bags of garri and guinea corn were to be distributed among the eight local government areas with the state beginning with Yenagoa, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas
Izu said: “These are NEMA food items, they were brought by NEMA,  NEMA normaly sent their representatives who in turn distribute these items in synergy with the state government through SEMA. I wrote letters to NEMA repeatedly but then to no avail, they didn’t come. In fact these items have been here for over three months.
“I repeatedly call them(NEMA) and told them that even the items were going bad most especially garri yet they did not respond. I was forced to make a report to the governor who later intervened and lend his miracle voice before there was response that we should go ahead to distribute. I am not a garri scientist to know if there are bad. I was not given directive to test, I was given directive to distribute.”