Governor Dapo Abiodun on Saturday began sharing expired foodstuff to civil servants in Ogun State as part of his moves to solicit their support for his second term bid.

The foodstuffs, Peoples Gazette gathered, is part of the COVID-19 palliatives earlier withheld from the citizenry by the state government.

The governor also authorised the disbursement of N5,000 to the state workers on Wednesday, funds which were a part of the federal government’s relief package.

Mr Abiodun’s actions has brought him under fierce criticisms by the civil servants who bemoaned the expired state of the shared food items.

The Gazette learnt that sugar, salt, rice and garri were distributed. However, the foodstuffs already had black spots, a sign of fungal growth, which made them unfit for consumption.

A spokesperson for the governor, Kunle Somorin, did not respond to requests for comments.

Several food items were distributed in 2020 in joint efforts by the federal government and private donors, who sought to relief the impact of the economic slowdown on the populace.

The objectives of the gesture were, however, thwarted by some state governors and politicians, who piled up the food items in warehouses away from the reach of ordinary Nigerians.