The Jigawa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has slammed the Buji Local Government Council Chairman, Najibulla Falalu Tukur, for distributing single packets of Noodles and ₦1,000 to individuals.
Shortly before the Sallah celebrations, the Buji council chairman distributed food and relief materials to individuals within the local government area.
A video clip of the event emerged and quickly went viral across various social media platforms, especially on Facebook.
The video showed some of the recipients of the gesture receiving a single packet of noodles and ₦1,000, which drew the attention of the public.
Reacting in a statement made available to newsmen in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Umar Kyari, described the chairman’s action as “political immaturity” and “undignifying.”
Kyari said, “The PDP has carefully watched the video clip, and we strongly condemn the chairman’s attitude.
“This behaviour proves that the APC has plunged Nigeria into hunger, poverty, and despair.”
Speaking further, the Publicity Secretary stated that the authorities’ failure to call the chairman to order shows that the APC has no feelings for the citizenry.
The PDP urged the people of Jigawa State to rally behind the PDP to rescue the state from APC’s maladministration.
“We will never fold our arms while the dignity of the people is being abused, and we warn against the repeat of dark age political attitudes,” Kyari remarked.
However, the party congratulated the Muslim Ummah for the peaceful celebration of the Eid-Kabir Sallah festivities and prayed for the safe return of pilgrims from the holy land.
The PDP also prayed for a bumper harvest in the coming rainy season.
Reacting to the PDP’s condemnation, Tukur’s Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Safiyanu, clarified that the program was a genuine social assistance initiative for about 3,000 people from different sectors and areas.
Safiyanu explained that the beneficiaries, including women, youth, widows, parents of orphans, imams, and party leaders, were initially listed and given assistance in different categories. The assistance included a bag of rice (at least 25kg), a carton of pasta, and money ranging from ₦5,000 to ₦20,000.
The chairman’s spokesperson said that the video clip was taken out of context, as some beneficiaries who were not initially selected showed up, and the chairman decided to share the remaining commodities with them to avoid them leaving empty-handed.
He clarified further that “the chairman saw the need to share the remaining items with the additional beneficiaries who came to the venue, even though they were not organised and this was done to ensure that no one left without receiving something, no matter how small.”
