By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

KOGI State Government in a deliberate effort to stem the tide of heightened inflation, hunger and deprivation in the state, has concluded plans to flag-off the first Quarterly Palliative Programme in the next two weeks.

Mallam Ismail Isah, Special Adviser (Media) to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo disclosed this at a “One-day Media Training on Human Rights and Social Inclusion” for practising journalists on Saturday in Lokoja.

The training was organized by Stallion Times in the Collaborative Media Project (Collaborating for media Independence and Government Accountability) with support from the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism, funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

Isah said that the governor was quite aware of the hardships being faced by citizens of the state saying, “We’re all aware of the heightened inflation, hunger, and deprivation that has really eaten deep into Nigerian families. A lot of us are feeling the heat everywhere.”

Isah said the state government would also embark on deliberate profiling of communities and demarcation of boundaries and areas of influence of all community leaders in the state in furtherance of its engagement with communities.

He said that the government had prioritized the role of traditional rulers over the years adding that the profiling would help to address issues of insecurity and involvement of community leaders in interventions by government.

He said that government would be more coordinated in its efforts and interventions in communities in terms of monetary and other packages to ameliorate the hardships.

The Special Adviser said, “Beyond appointments and inclusivity in governance, there will be deliberate efforts to reach out to women and youths with emphasis on their participation and inclusivity in governance.

“The Kogi State government, under His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is very committed to inclusion taking off from where the immediate past administration left