The rice distributed by the lawmaker representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Jimi Odimayo, to his constituents has been described as dangerous for consumption.
The constituents, who rejected the rice repackaged and distributed as a gift for the Yuletide, expressed concern over the situation.
In some videos which had gone viral in the state, the constituents were seen fuming and displaying the coloured rice in the bags branded with Odimayo’s picture.
In one of the videos, a resident of the constituency expressed surprise, stating, “I’m shocked because I’ve never seen anyone distribute this type of rice before.
“He claims he wants to be governor and yet he distributes this kind of rice to people. We are not in need; we can fend for ourselves. We refuse to be fed poison.”
Another man criticized the rice, stating, “The rice is extremely poor in quality and unsafe for consumption. It’s absolutely terrible. It’s riddled with stones, so much so that there are more stones than rice. We couldn’t even eat the one we cooked yesterday.”
“Both the cooked and uncooked rice are not for consumption. It’s alarming to think that someone aspiring to be governor would have the audacity to distribute this type of rice. It’s truly unacceptable. I’ve never encountered rice like this before, with two to three different colors. Look at how it appears. This is a serious matter.”
While reacting to the development, the federal lawmaker through his media aide, Victor Adedeji said, “The public should also know that the rice distributed was sourced from reputable suppliers and underwent stringent quality checks before distribution.
“Apart from the distribution of high-quality rice, Hon. Jimi Odimayo equally provided relief materials and financial aid sourced from his personal funds, a practice he has diligently maintained since 2014.
“Despite claims made in the video suggesting the rice was full of stones and unfit for consumption, Hon. Odimayo assures constituents that the rice provided was ‘brown rice’ approved by the federal government of acceptable quality and suitable for consumption.”
