Lent, Ramadan: President Tinubu Orders Nationwide Rice Distribution To Christians, Muslims

Lent, Ramadan: President Tinubu orders nationwide rice distribution to Christians, Muslims. President Bola Tinubu has ordered the distribution of rice across Nigeria for Christians and Muslims during Ramadan and Lent.

Tosin Ajuwon • March 16, 2026
BAGS OF RICE used to illustrate the story
Bags of rice [Credit: Premium Times Nigeria]
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the distribution of rice across Nigeria for Christians and Muslims during Ramadan and Lent.

A statement by the State House on Sunday said the gesture was intended to support families during the fasting period.

The statement said the intervention reflects the values of compassion, charity and solidarity associated with the two sacred seasons, which are widely observed across the country.

“Under the directive, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors will deploy their grassroots network nationwide to coordinate the distribution through structures at the state, local government and ward levels, structure, ensuring that families across the country benefit from the support during this season of fasting and reflection,” said the statement.

According to the statement, a similar intervention was implemented during last year’s Christmas celebrations, when rice was distributed nationwide to support Nigerians during the festive season.

It further explained that the continuation of the programme demonstrates Mr Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to supporting citizens during significant religious and cultural moments while promoting national unity.

“Both Muslim and Christian communities will benefit from the nationwide distribution as part of the effort to ensure that the spirit of compassion that defines Ramadan and Lent is reflected in political support for families across the country,” it added.

Rice

Lauding the gesture, Governor Hope Uzodimma said the programme reflected the president’s belief in strengthening national unity through acts of care and support for citizens.

According to the Imo governor, Ramadan and Lent are periods that remind Nigerians of sacrifice, generosity and the need to support one another.

He said the Renewed Hope Ambassadors network would ensure that the distribution reaches communities across the federation.

Tinubu Government Distributes Food, Nutrition Items To Vulnerable People In Adamawa

Tinubu Government distributes food, nutrition Items to vulnerable people in Adamawa. Items distributed include rice, beans, vegetable oil, palm oil, seasoning cubes and salt.

The federal government, on Tuesday in Yola, inaugurated the distribution of presidential emergency food and nutrition items to thousands of vulnerable people across the three senatorial zones of Adamawa.

Bernard Doro, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, said the exercise aimed to cushion the immediate effects of food insecurity and stabilise affected households.

“This distribution exercise is a decisive step to cushion the immediate effects of food insecurity and stabilise affected households.

“The government of Nigeria stands firmly with its citizens in moments of vulnerability,” he said.

Mr Doro added that beyond immediate relief, the government was pursuing reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty-reduction architecture.

He said beneficiaries of the food assistance would be linked to broader federal government social protection interventions, including conditional cash transfers.

Other interventions, Mr Doro said, include livelihood restoration programmes, skills-acquisition initiatives, agricultural productivity support, and micro-enterprise financing, aimed at restoring dignity and economic self-reliance.

According to him, the federal government is expanding and strengthening the National Social Register (NSR) to integrate vulnerable households into structured social protection systems nationwide.

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting vulnerable persons at the grassroots.

Adamawa

Mr Fintiri, represented by the state commissioner for reconstruction, rehabilitation, reintegration, and humanitarian services, Bello Hamman-Diram, described the intervention as timely and impactful.

He said the initiative aligned with the state’s humanitarian efforts through the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and assured us that the items would be distributed judiciously to targeted beneficiaries.

Faluma David, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed appreciation to Mr Tinubu for the gesture, saying it meant a lot to them considering their circumstances.

Items distributed include rice, beans, vegetable oil, palm oil, seasoning cubes, and salt.

The event was attended by government officials, community leaders, and development partners.

NDLEA Arrests Wanted ‘Drug Kingpin’ Who Has Been In Hiding For 13 Years

NDLEA arrests wanted ‘drug kingpin’ who has been in hiding for 13 years. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Reginald Peter Chidiebere, “a wanted drug kingpin”, who went into hiding for 13 years.

He was nabbed over cocaine and heroin shipments linked to him.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for cocaine trafficking and arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the federal high court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/187c/2923

He, however, jumped bail after being released and went underground.

His name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilogrammes of heroin from South Africa.

The consignment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.

“A follow-up operation was carried out on 19th February 2024 at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites, located at No. 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos where an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin was recovered from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod. As a result, Chidiebere went underground,” the statement reads.

The agency subsequently secured an interim forfeiture of the hotel and blocked bank accounts traced to him.

“Following these developments, Chidiebere could no longer sustain himself in hiding, prompting his surrender to the agency on 13th February 2026,” Babafemi said.

He has since been taken into custody to face “his pending charges for which he jumped bail in 2013 and fresh charges based on the 2024 heroin consignments linked to him”.

Reacting to the arrest, Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, said the agency remains resolute in dismantling criminal networks and bringing offenders to justice.

“I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” he said.

NDLEA

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Imo state on February 25, dismantled “a clandestine laboratory tucked in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba local government area” where 18.4 kilogrammes of methamphetamine were recovered along with “large quantity of precursor chemicals and equipment used in the production of the illicit substance”.

At the Seme border in Lagos, officers on February 27, intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, who concealed “5,000 pills of tramadol in her luggage”.

In a separate operation, “1,040 kilograms of skunk” were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos.

Other seizures recorded across states included 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup recovered in Kano, 87.4 kilogrammes of skunk intercepted in Katsina, and 18.085 kilogrammes of skunk seized in Osun.