Nigerians have reacted to the several funds donated by private
sector, individuals and federal government in the fight against COVID-19
(Coronavirus)..
They said there must be accountability of all the funds which have
been donated publicly and in secret in order for it not to be embezzled,
as they call to know the agency in charge of collection and
disbursement of the donated funds for the treatment of the virus.
The former Lagos State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Segun Adewale lamented that several billions of naira have been
donated by captains of industries, corporate organisation and
individuals to fight the COVID-19, which is yet to be accounted for to
Nigerians and how it is spent in containing the virus.
He questioned the ability of the government agencies in charge of
handling the COVID-19 situation, as the figures of cases are expected to
rise up to 39, 000, as predicted by the Lagos State Commissioner for
Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi.
Adewale told The Guardian that President Muhammadu Buhari had
announced that a sum of N10 billion grant has been given to Lagos State,
being the epicenter of the virus, while N5 billion was allocated to the
National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
He added that corporate organisation such as Access Bank, Zenith Bank
and Guaranty Trust Bank gave N1 billion each with facilities for
isolation center, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) gave N11 billion.
Other individuals who donated N1billion each, he stressed include,
Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu, Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Herbert
Wigwe, Segun Agbaje, Tim Ovie and Emmanuel Lazarus who gave N2 billion,
while Atiku Abubakar gave N50 million and N10 million from Tuface
Idibia.
The Former Lagos West Senatorial candidate in the 2015 election, said
that there is need for such grants to be accounted for publicly and
extended beyond Lagos State, as cases are reported in other States, as
part of the efforts to combat the rapid spread of coronavirus in Nigeria
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Democratic Party
(ADP), Prince Adelaja Adeoye, stressed that, while updates are being
given to Nigerians on the efforts so far, it is important that the way
and manners the funds donated are used, since they do not require
legislative approvals, before spending, should also be made known to the
public.
He said: “The public are already asking questions, on where the
donations and grants running into several billions are going into. This
has therefore, necessitated the need to open a public account, where
citizens can access such information.
Adelaja commended the private, corporate organisations, and the
Federal Government led by President Buhari, who have been helpful with
generous donations and provisions of Isolation centers to Lagos State,
while he charged Governor Babajide Sanwoolu to be more accountable for
all the supports given and those that will still come.
Meanwhile, A Nigerian, Walter Onyenucheya demanded that the agency in
charge of the collection and disbursement of the donated funds should
be made public, while they account for the money spent at every point.
“The money donated, which agency is handling it? Have the agency been
commissioned? Is it private agency or the government? Have they
constituted the agency to be private, public or a mixture of private and
public? Who are the members of the agency responsible for receiving the
monies donated? How do they disburse the money? What is their approach
to the COVID-19 issue as it relates to individual carriers of the virus
“How do they interface with the various isolation centers regarding
disbursement of the funds? How much have been received so far, we have
been hearing donations made, we want to know how much have been donated.
We have been seeing people coming to the public to donate -some to
have their names on record, we also have those who donate in the secret,
we need transparency and Nigerians should be told how much have been
donated so far.
“I believe that this agency should not be government agency, it
should cut across government and private sector, who should make up this
agency, there should be accountability and they should be held
accountable for the funds donated. They should give Nigerians periodic
accounts of how much they have spent,” he lamented.
He said the testing units should be responsible for announcing those
that test positive to the virus, not individuals announcing their status
themselves, which he said has made the situation in Nigeria to be “a
child’s play.”
“With high profile individuals coming out to announce they have the
virus have made the situation a joke. As it is now, the figures released
are not genuine, it is politicise and have a bit of media hype,” he
said.
Adelaja said, while the Lagos State plan to give succour and
palliatives to residents is commendable, “the governor should not allow
those who may want to politicise it, and won’t allow it to get to those
who genuinely need them, as that will negate all the good work being
done by the governor and his team in their proactive effort to contain
COVID-19 due to stay at home order.”
Walter advised Sanwo-Olu to get the local governments to use delivery
vans to distribute the welfare packages to residents in their homes or
streets, which would help the government to have record of those who
have received the food items.
Adelaja further stressed on the report of the National Center for
Disease Control (NCDC), in the public that, ordinary Nigerians are not
being attended to, which he said should be investigated, “because if not
thoroughly investigated, it will underscore the entire efforts of the
private individuals, corporate organizations and government, putting
resources in place, for the benefit of all Nigerians. If there is
problem of manpower shortage, retired health workers can be recalled, to
joins hands with those in service, to combat this spread, in addition
to other efforts of the government.
“I will advise further that, the best way this scourge can be
defeated quickly is to set up Isolation centers, specialized hospitals
and provide anti-covid mechanisms in all the States of the Federation,
where individuals can easily access without having to move to Abuja or
Lagos before they can be tested or treated, Adelaja concluded”.
Walter, however, suggested that ” Government throughout the world
should have, at the point of entry, receive travellers and send them
down to be quarantine. It should be one person in a room and then watch
them, after 14 to 18 days, if the person is found to be free from the
virus, he/she would be released to join his/her family.
“That should have been the best system. The world was in a hurry to
declare total lockdown. The world thought it was the Chinese virus just
like President Donald Trump called it and then ignored it. Nigeria
should have adopted this measure instead of hurriedly following the rest
of the world.”
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