COVID-19 Palliatives: NGF Maintains No State Hoarded Items
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Monday recanted allegations that COVID-19 palliatives meant for distribution were hoarded by state governments.
According to a statement signed by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the forum’s spokesperson, the governors have held several meetings since the #EndSARS protests and started to address concerns of members of the public and that they identified calls for justice and an end to police brutality.
“The NGF wishes to state categorically that no State has been involved in or has hoarded any palliatives.”
The governors regretted the loss of lives and properties caused by the violent protests that erupted but harped on the need to verify information culled from the social media.
And referencing the widely reported and still ongoing torching of warehouses where palliatives are kept, NGF pleaded with members of the public to cease from spreading rumours which according to the forum creates panic and commotion.
The statement read,“The NGF reemphasizes and corrects the impression that palliatives found in warehouses that were broken into in Lagos and some other states were kept in storage for members of the society especially our vulnerable citizens. The erroneous impression in the public domain that these palliatives were hoarded is inaccurate, “entirely erroneous and untrue.”
“Until mid-October, when the NGF had its last meeting, up to ten states had not participated in the flag-off ceremonies for the distribution of palliatives in their States. This was because the items meant for distribution in these states had not been completely received from CACOVID.”
They explained that some states were still receiving palliatives from the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development.
The forum of governors explained as well that some of the states that still had palliatives in their warehouses chose to keep a strategic reserve ahead of a projected second wave of COVID-19.