Residents of Yobe north and south senatorial districts said they received bags of rice as Christmas gifts from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through senators representing the districts.

The residents made the disclosure in separate interviews with journalists on Tuesday.

One of the constituents, Musa Dahiru, told journalists that he and his friends benefited from the gesture through Senator Ibrahim Bomoi of Yobe South in Potiskum.

He noted that Mr Bomoi distributed over 2,000 bags (20kg) of rice to his constituents in Potiskum and Nangere local government areas.

Similarly, Mr Dahiru, a politician, said Fatsuma Talba, representing Potiskum/Nangere Federal Constituency, also distributed 30 bags (25kg) of rice to each of the 21 wards in her constituency.

Ibrahim Sanusi, a development worker, said he received the Christmas rice in Gashua from Senator Ahmed Lawan of Yobe North, adding that seven others known to him also benefited from the gesture.

However, Mohammed Kuchichi of the Network of Yobe Civil Society Organisations said there was no distribution of rice by any lawmaker in Yobe East during Christmas.

“I have contacted our men in local governments under the district and they said there was no distribution of rice by any federal lawmaker throughout the Christmas period,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria, Yobe chapter, also confirmed the receipt of 1,200 bags (25kg) of rice from the President through the national body of the association.

The state CAN chairman, Bishop Yohanna Audu, told journalists that the state chapter received the bags of rice on January 2.

Mr Audu said the association was making arrangements to distribute the rice to its members across the 17 local government areas of the state soon.

(NAN)