Ndume defends submission on FG’s COVID-19 palliatives distribution

…As Presidency kicks

The senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has insisted that the palliatives put in place by the federal government to cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been poorly coordinated by agencies of government charged with the responsibility.

This reiteration came hours after attacks from the Presidency over Sen. Ndume’s call for immediate sack of the COVID -19 Palliatives Measures Committee headed by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadia Farouq.

Senator Ndume (APC/ Borno South) had on Thursday in Maiduguri picked holes in the distribution of palliatives to indigent Nigerians at this critical time of coronavirus lockdown as is being handled by the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry .

Ndume, who kicked against the strategy adopted by the ministry in a chat with journalists, said the emergency national assignment should be taken away from the ministry and given to a fresh committee that will use governors of the 36 states as links of distribution across the federation.

Standing by his position on the programme, the senator said: “My concern is the manner and the way the COVID-19 palliative measures provided by the president is being handled or executed. We have received numerous complaints and it is actually very unfortunate.

“In fact, left to me, I am strongly calling for the humanitarian committee headed by the minister of humanitarian affairs to be dissolved with immediate effect and the president should as a matter of urgency, form a task force that would deal with issue of palliatives, headed by the military, police, civil defence, voluntary organisations and the NYSC among others.

“It should be formed as a task force committee headed by the governor of each state and those materials or cash be allocated, and distributed house to house, instead of the fake or dubious way they have been handling the matter by just going to television houses or government house to demonstrate.

“If you see a minister or big person in anywhere going personally to do something, then know that there is something wrong. If not, what has the minister got to do with going from state to state to distribute palliative. They should be in the ministry monitoring the activities.

“While the pitiable situation of the poor is visible to everyone, few individuals are rushing to squander the money meant for the poor.

“We have reliable information that the names they generated are fake and that they connived with some of the banks to defraud the poor.

“It is better to stop the exercise because it is full of lies and if the president doesn’t do something to stop it now, we will end up investigating and later on going back and forward to the court.”

Recall that the Presidency on Friday in Abuja through a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhamnadu Buhari on Media, Garba Shehu, accused Ndume of politicising a national emergency and challenged him to name the alleged kleptocrats in Buhari’s government.

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Shehu in the statement, cautioned Ndume to keep quiet as according to him, no serious government changes a winning team in times of war.

Reacting to the statement, Ndume said he was convinced that the palliatives distribution arising from COVID-19 has not been well handled by the ministry, hence his call for a change of tactics.

Ndume, who reacted through a telephone conversation, however, said he was not ready to join issues with anybody having made his observations known.

“I’m not ready to join issues with anybody on palliatives distribution, having made my observations known based on information I got from the grassroots as a grassroots person.

“I’ve made my position known on the programme and I stand by it,” he said.