On Thursday, a presidential aide confirmed the distribution of palliative items worth N200 million to senators and N100 million to members of the House of Representatives by the federal government. The announcement was made by Olusegun Dada, the Special Assistant on Social Media to President Bola Tinubu, via his official X handle.

Dada clarified that after initial logistics delays, senators and House of Representatives members had commenced the process of taking stock of the distributed palliative items for their constituents. Each House of Representatives member received items valued at N100 million, while senatorial constituencies were provided with palliative items worth N200 million.

However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, disputed the claim, stating that he had not received any palliative items from the federal government. Adaramodu explained that he personally funded the distribution of food items and money to his constituents for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

While responding to the assertion, Adaramodu questioned whether it was the minister or the president who made the statement, emphasizing that he had not received any food items from the federal government. He highlighted that if the items had been handed over to them, trailers loaded with food items would be visible across all constituencies.

Adaramodu affirmed his tradition of independently distributing rice and money to constituents annually, even during his tenure as Chief of Staff in Ekiti State before being elected into the House of Representatives.

Ezrel Tabiowo, media adviser to the immediate past Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, also expressed unawareness regarding the receipt of palliative items by his principal. Tabiowo pointed out that the former Senate President's outreaches and palliative distributions were often personally funded by his foundation.

Tabiowo criticized the claim of N200 million being sufficient to buy bags of grains to sustain an entire constituency, highlighting the implausibility of the amount in relation to the number of bags each lawmaker could receive as palliative.

An aide to Senator Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East, disclosed anonymously that the senator had not received any palliative items from the government. The aide clarified that the items distributed to constituents were funded personally.

Presidential Spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale did not respond to inquiries seeking comments on the matter. The conflicting statements and denials from several lawmakers raise questions about the transparency and accuracy of the reported distribution of palliative items by the federal government.

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