WHERE IS OUR RELIEF PACKAGE?
In the wake of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world, Nigeria, just like other nations with cases have closed its borders in order to contain the virus within.
States like Lagos, Rivers, Anambara, Enugu, Abuja, Kaduna etc., with confirmed cases have been forced to adopt punitive measures such as internal border shut down, closure of markets and the ban of every gathering that involves more than 10 persons.
In a country labelled as the poverty capital of the world with multi dimensional poverty, the closure of markets, banning of movements are utterly counterproductive for those states in especially since most of their citizens are self-employed, small scale traders who depend on daily hustle to survive.
If we must emulate the measures being adopted by countries in saner climes, the Federal Government and our Nigerian governors must provide relief packages as a matter of necessity for their citizens to sustain themselves and avert the surge of an even deadlier pandemic – hunger and crime.
As at today, billions of naira have been donated by elites in the corporate world, more funds are on the way from the African Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund to fight this course and the purchase of exotic cars by members of House of Representatives, is condemned as an utterly insensitive act in times like these when poverty is exacerbated by a global pandemic.
The right question we ought to ask our leaders remains, "where is our relief package?" It is our right in times like these and we demand it.
World Health Organization (WHO) The Presidency, Nigeria Covid-19 News National Center for Disease Control & Public Health, Georgia (NCDC & PH) STOP Covid-19 PNG World Health Organization African Region Muhammadu Buhari National Assembly, Abuja
