On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu distributed 50kg of rice as palliatives to each Student Union Government (SUG) President from tertiary institutions across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Tuesday, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Student Engagement, Asefon Sunday, said the rice distribution to student union leaders was part of the government’s palliative for Christmas and the New Year.
Mr Sunday, however, said the rice arrived late on 28 December 2024.
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Some student leaders told PREMIUM TIMES that they were unaware of the distribution and had not received the rice since Wednesday.
Rice as palliative
The Nigerian government has always been criticised for using the distribution of rice as a response to various crises, from cost of living crisis to natural disasters.
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Mr Tinubu’s flagship economic policies, the removal of petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira have led to hardship and a cost-of-living crisis for Nigerians.
In less than two years of his administration, Mr Tinubu’s government has announced the distribution of rice nine times to ease hardship for Nigerians. However, the situation has only worsened, with the country’s annual inflation rate now at 34.80 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Food inflation is worse at 38.94 per cent, the NBS said.
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Some students who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES questioned why the government selected only student leaders to receive the palliatives.
Distribution details
In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Mr Sunday told PREMIUM TIMES that the rice was shared with SUG presidents of all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
He said two student leaders from each zone were invited to Abuja to receive the palliatives on behalf of other SUG presidents in their domains.
He, however, noted that the rice meant for student leaders in the South-west and South-south zones had not been delivered due to logistical challenges.
“South West have not taken their rice, South-South have not taken their rice. All the rice for South West is still intact in Abuja. They’re still looking for the vehicle to transport it,” he said.
“The SUG President for Kaduna Polytechnic is the one that collected for all SUG presidents in Kaduna State.”
One of the beneficiaries, Fahad Abdullahi, the SUG President of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, told PREMIUM TIMES that each student leader received two 25kg of rice.
Mr Abdullahi clarified that the distributed rice was meant for the student leaders, not the students in their respective institutions.
READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: Significance of Enugu government’s projects commissioned by Tinubu
SUG presidents unaware
In a telephone interview, the SUG President, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Oladele Prosper, told PREMIUM TIMES that he was unaware of the distribution.
“I only saw in the press that Tinubu is sharing rice but I didn’t receive any and we heard nothing,” he said.
The SUG President at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), Nasir Shehu, also said he was unaware of the distribution and had not been contacted by anyone to receive them.
But his predecessor, Sanusi Abdullahi, said he was contacted on Tuesday.
“I was called and informed about the procedure and process that was taking place in Abuja… Surely they distributed the rice, and it’s given to the beneficiaries,” Mr Abdullahi said in a text to our reporter.
The Students Representative Council (SRC) President, ABU Zaria, Ibrahim Nazir, also said he was aware of the distribution but had yet to receive it.
Mr Nazir said he would contact other student leaders for updates
Students react
Oyelakin Mutiullah, a student of the University of Abuja, said the approach reflects poorly on leadership by both the government and the students’ leaders.
“Feeling that my interests are not sufficiently represented would cause me to mistrust the integrity of those who are supposed to advocate for us,” he said.
Anas Abdulrahman, a student of UDUS, wondered why some students were singled out simply because of their positions in the school.
While he commended the government for the gesture, he noted that all students are Nigerians and should be beneficiaries of such palliatives.
“We all voted for this government, and we have to be considered. Not only the leaders,” he said. “That means students will be putting mind on only election part just to get there and benefit from that kind of thing.”
Adedeji Bright, another student of UDUS, said: “It’s not a good idea to me because all students are students. There should not be a separate provision for SUG presidents, and I think they should address that and share the rice with all the students.”
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