Governors urge PMB to reform distribution of palliatives to forestall crisis

Nigerian governors have told President Muhammadu Buhari that the mode of distribution of palliatives to vulnerable Nigerians affected by the coronavirus impact must be reformed.

The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday, briefed Buhari on the limitations of the distribution of palliatives to vulnerable persons to curb the economic impact of the coronavirus.

Fayemi spoke in his capacity as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) during a teleconference with president.

The details of the meeting were made available via a statement signed by the NGF spokesperson, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo.

Fayemi informed the president that there are people from the informal sectors who live on daily income and are yet to be included into the world bank assisted scheme, the National Social Register (NSR).

He noted that such persons are exempted from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme.

He cited the “Ecuadorian Alternative “where the poor and vulnerable people flocked into the streets in violation of the stay at home order in their country.

Fayemi said the plight of the missed Nigerians need to be quickly addressed before the situation crumbles into such a scenario.

The NGF chairman also urged the president to instruct the relevant authorities to use the machinery of the state governments “so that the palliatives would penetrate all nooks and crannies of the country.”

The official explained that the “palliatives would be even more meaningful if they were distributed through the state governors.”

Recall that in his first national address on the COVID-19 outbreak two weeks ago, President Buhari ordered palliatives be given to poor Nigerians who are considered the most affected during the ongoing lockdown in three states.

The minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Farouq, said her ministry had begun the distribution of N20,000 each to the households captured in the NSR.

However, there have been widespread controversies around the identification and selection of vulnerable persons in the NSR.

The leadership of the National Assembly had also called for a total review of the process.

The state governors, who seem not to be confident in the scheme, therefore, approached the minister of communication, Isa Pantami, to provide them with data to help identify ‘vulnerable’ persons across the country.

Ms Farouq has since resolved to hand over the relief materials to the state governors for proper distribution.

Responding, President Buhari reportedly urged Fayemi to formalise all the requests of the governors and forward them to him, promising they would be promptly addressed.