By Anietie Akpan
Cross River state government has faulted false claims that 200 trailer load of food items were sent to the state.
The claims, suggested that 200 trailers of food items were dispatched to the state to alleviate food scarcity, but the Director General (DG) of SEMA, Cross River State, Elder James Anam, in a briefing with some newsmen in Calabar on Monday debunked this false claims saying, “it is absolute falsehood”.
Anam said that the fake report targeted towards the Office of the First Lady “is false in its totality. It is our responsibility to question, verify, and separate fact from fiction. As we navigate this era of rampant misinformation”.
He said that the false claims has caused quite a stir, but “upon closer examination, I find that this news is nothing more than a fabrication designed to create a false sense of relief”.
In collaboration with the Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture, from April 24 to May 18, 2024, the DG said, “we received food items from the Federal Government of Nigeria National Strategic Reserve”.
Anam listed the items to include, 3,384 bags of Garri (25k), 24,000 bags of Rice (25kg), and 14,040 bags of Maize (50kg) “which with the approval of His Excellency was swapped for Beans (600 bags of 100kg) and 800 bags of 50kg Garri”.
He stated that, “it is disheartening to witness the spread of false information, especially when it concerns something as fundamental as food security. The consequences of such misinformation can be dire, as it distracts from the real issues at hand and hinders genuine efforts to address the challenges faced by communities”.
