The state governors have been urged by the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, to guarantee caution and equity in the distribution of palliatives provided to them by the federal government.
Additionally, CACOL commended President Bola Tinubu’s government for approving N180 billion as palliatives for the nation’s 36 states.
This was revealed by the anti-graft civil society organization in an open letter from its Chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran. The letter also stressed the importance of governors carefully distributing palliatives to the people suffering from the elimination of gasoline subsidies.
Remember how the federal government allocated N5 billion for every state, allowing them to buy 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize, and fertilizer to lessen the impact of food shortages across the nation?
In response, Mr. Debo Adeniran, the organization’s Director of Administration and Programmes, said in a statement that “We would like to commend the federal government for at least heeding the numerous outcries from various quarters calling for palliatives to cushion the effect of the removal of the fuel subsidy on the people.
“By approving 180 billion as palliatives to be distributed among the states in the nation, this administration has demonstrated that it is feeling the pulse of the people.”
According to the CACOL leader, it is important to avoid a replay of the unpleasant circumstances in which the governors hoarded painkillers from the general populace in the COVID era in 2022.
According to historical events, we are nonetheless suspicious about certain governors’ capacities to supply or distribute these palliatives to the intended recipients. We are all still alive to see how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some foodstuffs intended to be palliatives for Nigerians were locked up in warehouses across the nation by some avaricious and self-centered people in positions of authority to the detriment of hungry, traumatized, and impoverished Nigerians.
“We also want to ask the state governors to make sure that the palliatives are distributed wisely, both in terms of money and kind. They need to make sure that these painkillers don’t wind up in the hands of the few wealthy people who control their respective states. No matter how minor, the effects of these palliatives should be felt by the state’s residents.
Nevertheless, Adeniran challenged the Nigerian people, saying, “We also want to use this medium to call on our people to monitor the disbursement of these palliatives in their various states so as to ensure that foodstuffs and other commodities meant for the people are not cornered by politicians.”