Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says that the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government cannot share funds donated by the private sector to fight coronavirus to Nigerians
According to IgbereTV reports, the minister
who featured in featured on “Politics Nationwide”, a Radio Nigeria programme, on Tuesday gave reasons why the donated funds can’t be shared to citizens when it was requested that a part of the funds be shared to Nigerians to cushion the effect of the lockdown on them.
The minister said the funds are meant for the development of healthcare infrastructure and cannot be used to provide palliatives.
Mohammed said the presidential task force for the control of coronavirus never had the money or had control of it, and therefore cannot share any amount from it to anybody.
“The private sector donors are not giving any cash to the federal government and they have made this clear to the people,” he was quoted to have said.
“They said they will support the fight against the pandemic by asking government where they want healthcare infrastructure to be provided.
“What government has done is to request them to build a 30-bed isolation ward and a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit in each state in the country.
“In addition, the federal government has given them a list of equipment and commodities that will also be needed
“Therefore, the issue of using their donations to provide palliative cannot arise.”
The minister said that the federal government had taken a lot of measures to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on Nigerians. Such measures include food distribution, cash transfers, and loan repayment waivers.
He added that the federal government of Nigeria has remained the best in Africa in providing palliatives to citizens.
