In a conflicting narrative, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Adeyemi Adaramodu, has refuted media reports claiming that senators received N200 million worth of rice from President Bola Tinubu for distribution as Yuletide palliatives to their constituents.
Despite Adaramodu’s denial, an inside source within the Senate confirmed the distribution, stating that some senators are yet to receive the rice palliatives. Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Social Media, Olusegun Dada, officially acknowledged the distribution of palliative items worth N200 million to senators and N100 million to House of Representatives members.
Dada reported on Thursday, “After initial logistics delay, I can now confirm that Senators and members of the House of Representatives have started taking stock of the Federal Government’s palliative items for their constituents as part of efforts to ease life for all Nigerians. Each HoR member received items worth N100m while Senatorial constituencies got palliative items worth N200m.”
Adaramodu, however, could not be reached for direct comment, but he was quoted by Premium Times debunking the claims, asserting that neither him nor his southwest colleagues had received any palliative items from the federal government. He insisted that the food items and money he distributed to his constituents during the festive season were personally funded by him, not the government.
He said, “Was it the minister that said that or the president because as for me I have not seen anything… Our people will even be happy to get the items from the federal government. As for me, Yemi Adaramodu, I have not received any food items from the federal government. The food I distributed to my people across my constituency was funded personally by me and that has been my tradition every year even while I was the Chief of Staff, before I got elected to the House of Representatives.”
Despite Adaramodu’s denial, a source close to the Senate leadership confirmed that the allocation of rice to senators for distribution is ongoing, with some senators yet to receive their consignments. The source stated, “I know that there is a provision to give Senators rice for their constituents… I believe there are many senators that have not received the rice. But I am aware that something like that is going on.”
