Politics

COVID-19 lockdown: Pay relief funds to households, unemployed Nigerians through BVN - Tinubu advises FG

Oleh Step Hen - April 16, 2020

The APC national leader, Tinubu, has advised President Buhari on how two take care of Nigerians and sustain the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic

- Tinubu advised the president to pay stipends or relief funds to Nigerian households using BVNs

- The former Lagos state governor also urged the CBN to reduce the interest rates just as he urged the government to push for debt relief

As the coronavirus lockdown bites harder on Nigerians, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari on how to sustain the economy and save citizens from hunger.

The Sun reports that Tinubu advocated an economic relief package in the form of emergency sustenance payments to vulnerable Nigerians.

Police Dismantle Roadblocks, Desert Lagos Roads

Oleh Step Hen - April 16, 2020

SOME Lagos residents have raised concerns over the absence of policemen on major roads and streets.

The police came out full force two weeks ago following the presidential directive that Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Captial Territory (FCT) be locked down, but they appear to be losing steam.

Their absence coincided with cult clashes and armed robbery attacks around the Lagos-Ogun border communities.

As the attacks spread to other parts of the state, such as Ikorodu, Ikotun, Oke Afa, Agege, Egbeda, Abule Egba, Meiran, Alakuko, Alagbado, Ijoko, Ogba and Ojodu Berger, there were complaints that the police have allegedly abandoned residents to their fate.

It was gathered that from Mushin to Abule Egba and back, there has been no police presence in the past three days.

All the checkpoints mounted by the police have been discarded while those on patrol were hardly visible at nights.

Similarly, those who ply Ikorodu road from Oshodi as well as from Mushin to Idimu shared similar concerns, urging the Commissioner of Police to address the situation.

“They (police) have abandoned the road and left the people to be at the mercy of hoodlums. This is the third day running that I have complained about the lack of police presence on the road, especially at nights.

“From Mushin to Abule Egba, there is no single police checkpoint in the night and the patrol teams are nowhere in sight.

“The police seem to have abandoned their duty to enforce the lockdown,” said a resident.

Similarly, another resident raised alarm over the lack of police presence from Mushin to Idimu.

She was surprised that from the time she left the office around 10:30pm on Tuesday till when she got home, she did not see a single policeman or roadblock.

“Even the roadblock in front of Ikotun Police Station had been removed. I did not see a single police operative anywhere and that is really scary considering that these hoodlums are everywhere now.

“The police need to be visible. Their presence gives a sense of security and safety to people. They should not abandon us at this time,” she pleaded.

Denying that the police have abdicated their responsibilities, spokesman Bala Elkana said they had to dismantle roadblocks since they were doing more of vehicular patrols.

“Our policemen are moving around everywhere. They cannot pin down on the roads when they need to pursue criminals trying to disturb the peace of Lagosians.

“Also, those complaining should not be afraid because we have men at major entry and exit points enforcing the lockdown. The police are working round the clock to keep Lagosians safe,” he said.

Katsina, Highest Recipient Of Conditional Cash Transfer

Oleh Step Hen - April 16, 2020

With a total of 133,227 beneficiaries, Katsina State is the highest recipient of the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer programme.

Lagos, Delta and Borno states had zero beneficiaries, according to an infographic published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting on states captured in the CCT scheme and their respective number of beneficiaries as of April 9, 2020.

Data from the infographic showed that Katsina had the highest number of beneficiaries, followed by Zamfara and Jigawa.

The infographic, which was created on April 11, 2020, stated its source as the National Cash Transfer Office and revealed that 1,126,211 households were currently benefiting from the CCT programme.

Zamfara, Jigawa, Kano, Plateau, Kebbi, Kogi, and Benue states had 130,764; 99,044; 84,148; 78,430; 76,026; 62,129; and 58,943 beneficiaries respectively.

Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Gombe, Akwa Ibom, Yobe, and Bauchi states had 48,687; 35,384; 32,218; 26,532; 24,929; 24,814; and 23,305 beneficiaries respectively.

The number of beneficiaries in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Taraba, Adamawa, Osun, Oyo, and Cross River states were 20,129; 19,898; 17,803; 16,988; 15,572; 13,811; and 11,998 respectively.

For Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia, Anambra, and Imo states, the number of beneficiaries were 11,368; 9,805; 9,596; 9,347; 8,105; and 7,220 respectively.

COVID-19: Fayemi Asks FG To Help Out States Financially

Oleh Step Hen - April 16, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic takes toll on the nation’s economy, the Nigerian Governors Forum has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari for interventions. The governors said their states were going through tough times, appealing to the president to take certain decisive decisions to ameliorate the sufferings of the citizenry. The chairman of the forum and governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, made the appeal on Tuesday during his first teleconference meeting with Buhari. Fayemi, according to a statement by the spokesman of the NGF, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, appealed to Buhari to grant the states debt relief in lieu of the drop in the federal allocation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I know your penchant for caring for the poor and the downtrodden in the country, Mr President, and I am telling you that allocations from FAAC have dropped significantly so if you turn your magnanimity towards governors and their States into looking at other debts that continue to linger in the system and prioritise their payments, poor people will be the happier,” he said. He assured that if the federal government’s debts to the states were defrayed, the poor and vulnerable in the country would be better taken care of. He thanked Buhari for the approval of the release of $150mto augment the projected FAAC shortfall in June, but added that more needed to be done to keep the states properly afloat.

Fayemi alluded to the revenues from the Liquefied Natural Gas which, he said, could help in assuaging some issues related to revenue shortfalls. He reiterated the NGF’s call for the suspension of all deductions by the federal government so that states could address the COVID-19 challenge from a position of economic strength. He also stressed the need to streamline all multi-lateral and bilateral interventions and funding so that states could also be integrated and considered because of the difficulties they were going through. He said all the 36 states’ governments were currently reviewing their budgets downwards to conform to the prevailing realities.

He urged the president to encourage evolution of a national strategic plan that would encompass the sub-national level so that the country would find a fast and easy way out of the woods. He acknowledged that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was doing a great job because the challenges that the coronavirus had thrown at them was huge, adding on a lighter mood that “Hunger-vid is equally as lethal”. According to him, because the situation puts governors at the receiving end of the hardships, all governors would be happier if their requests are met.

Fayemi also told Buhari that if the distribution of palliatives was not reviewed, Nigerians, especially those in the informal sector, would take to the street in violation of the stay-at-home order. He expressed concern that informal sector workers had neither been captured in the World Bank-assisted scheme, the National Social Register and nor included in the conditional cash transfer. He said those people’s plight needed to be quickly addressed “before our situation crumbles into the “Ecuadorian Alternative“ where the poor and vulnerable people of Ecuador flocked into the streets in violation of the stay-at-home order in their country.”

He said palliatives would be more meaningful if they were distributed through the state governors. Fayemi also told the president that though the targeted testing strategy adopted by the country has done a lot, there was need for more testing. Responding, Buhari asked Fayemi to formalise all the requests of the governors and forward them to him so that he would promptly address them.

Ayade Approves N30,000 Monthly Salary For 8,000 Youths

Oleh Step Hen - April 16, 2020

The Governor of Cross River State ,Prof. Ben Ayade, has distributed stimulus package to vulnerable persons and citizens in the 18 local government areas of the state .

Distributing the items on Wednesday at CROSPIL in Calabar, Ayade said he had already approved N 30, 000 as monthly stipend for beneficiaries of the automatic employment given to 8, 000 youths between the ages of 18 and 35 starting from Tuesday next week.

He said , “ Distributing food is not the real palliatives , the real palliative is in giving people jobs. Palliative which is temporal is for poor and vulnerable people who cannot fend for themselves .
“ We are starting the real palliative on Tuesday . Whether you are a gardener or cleaner ; whatever you can do , we will give you a job but we can only pay you N 30, 000. If you know you need it and want to earn that amount , please put down your names and phone numbers; you will be contacted.

“ The food will be shared through our traditional rulers to all the 18 LGAs. We want it to get to the grass roots ; this is not about political party, it is about governance. We will also give to churches and various religious organisations to distribute because they know the people well. ”

Ogun To Suspend Lockdown Free Days On Friday

Oleh Step Hen - April 15, 2020

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday said the current relaxation of the lockdown in the state from 7am to 2pm would be suspended on Friday.

The governor also said the state would soon commence strict enforcement of wearing of face masks in the public, saying it would help flatten the spread of coronavirus.

The governor in the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, urged the residents of the state to consider the extension announced by

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday said the current relaxation of the lockdown in the state from 7am to 2pm would be suspended on Friday.

The governor also said the state would soon commence strict enforcement of wearing of face masks in the public, saying it would help flatten the spread of coronavirus.

The governor in the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, urged the residents of the state to consider the extension announced by the President on Monday a necessary sacrifice to defeat an invisible and deadly enemy.

He said, “Therefore, the current window of relaxation of the lockdown in the state from 7am to 2pm, which follows the same pattern of last week, will still be available for this Wednesday (15th April) and Friday (17th April, 2020) only.

“This is to allow the residents prepare for the extension of the lockdown and restock on food and other essential items. However, Ogun State borders remain closed.
“It should be emphasised that people should only go out if they need to and are required at all times when outside their homes to wear a face mask, including locally made face masks, even as they observe other social distancing measures.

“The state will soon commence strict enforcement of wearing of face mask in the public as it has been shown to help flatten the spread of the virus.”

I Am Still COVID-19 Positive, El-Rufai Speaks From Isolation

Oleh Step Hen - April 15, 2020

The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday said he was still under isolation for testing positive to COVID-19 and is yet to be cleared of the disease

El-Rufai, who also chaired a virtual meeting of the State Executive Council for the first time since he was diagnosed, said he will personally announce to the public as soon as he is cleared negative of the disease.

He urged Nigerians to ignore any report insinuating that he was cleared of the disease and assured that he would personally announce the news when he is confirmed negative.

The Governor stated via his tweeter account at 5:08 that; “earlier Wednesday 10am -2pm, I took a few hours during isolation to chair a virtual meeting of the State Executive Council.

“I haven’t been cleared of COVID-19 yet and will personally announce when confirmed negative. Ignore fake news even if you like it.”

El-Rufai had disclosed in a video shared on the official account of the Governor of Kaduna State, @GovKaduna on 28 March, 2020 that he tested positive for coronavirus.

He added that he is in self-isolation as required by the case management guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC for a someone that is not showing symptoms.

Nigerians With Over N5,000 In Bank Won’t Get Palliatives

Oleh Step Hen - April 15, 2020

People with over N5, 000 in bank won’t get palliatives ― FG

To focus on urban poor

Food distribution to be handled by states

THE Federal Government has said that people with over N5, 000 in their bank account will not benefit from the palliatives to cushion the effect of the lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government also said that it will be using the mobile networks, to know people that top up the credit units for their phones with may be N100 or less.

Besides, the state governments will now be involved in the distribution of food items.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq stated this while briefing State House correspondents after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister also said that the Ministry will now focus on the urban poor as it carries out with President Buhari’s directive on the distribution of palliatives to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on Nigerians.

According to her, “You are aware that the President in his broadcast of Monday 13th April, directed that we expand the beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer by one million and in this regard, we are going to focus more now on the urban poor.

“These are people who depend on the informal sector to earn their livelihood; they are daily wage earners and these are the people that we are really going to focus more on as well as people living with disabilities.”

Giving details on how to identify the beneficiaries of the stimulus, she said that the Ministry has three options to be adopted in selecting the beneficiaries of the scheme.

She said, “Well, we have three options; one, we are going to use the national social register that we already have, two, we are also going to focus on the urban poor as I mentioned, by using their verified BVN accounts to get them, that is, people that have an account balance of N5, 000 and below.

“We are also using the mobile networks, to know people that top up the credit units for their phones with may be N100 or less. Those are also people that we consider to be poor and vulnerable. So, these are the three options that we are exploring and I am sure that by the time we get this data we will be able to give this intervention.”

She, however, said only 25 percent of the population would benefit for now, adding that the scope might be expanded later.

She said, “Let me also say that we have a standard. 25 percent of the total population is what we will take out. It cannot go round everywhere but we are starting from somewhere.

“25 percent of let’s say the location of Lagos state for example is what is going to benefit from this intervention that we are doing. Going forward, we might expand it but this is what is obtainable for now.”

The Minister said her ministry intends to handover the distribution of food relief items to State governments, so as to address the challenges associated with distribution faced in the past.

She said, “On the issue of palliatives in terms of food relief, we have an emergency response plan in place. In the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, we have different functional groups.

“One of such groups, is that which deals with mass care, logistics and security, to be led by the National Emergency Management Agency under the Ministry and they have a structure; from National, States, down to Local Governments, where the various State Emergency Agencies and other security agencies are involved in this distribution.

“So far, we have already done the distribution together with the State authorities in these two states affected by the lockdown, together with the FCT but going forward, when we are going to give these food items, we are going to hand them over to the states because issues have come up, as at yesterday (Monday,).

“Our people were mobbed, some of them were attacked in the course of carrying out this assignment so the general conclusion is that we give this food relief directly to the State governments for them to distribute to the beneficiaries.”

Labels : Politics

COVID-19 lockdown: Pay relief funds to households, unemployed Nigerians through BVN - Tinubu advises FG

Police Dismantle Roadblocks, Desert Lagos Roads

Katsina, Highest Recipient Of Conditional Cash Transfer

COVID-19: Fayemi Asks FG To Help Out States Financially

Ayade Approves N30,000 Monthly Salary For 8,000 Youths

Ogun To Suspend Lockdown Free Days On Friday

I Am Still COVID-19 Positive, El-Rufai Speaks From Isolation

Nigerians With Over N5,000 In Bank Won’t Get Palliatives

Trending Post

COVID-19 lockdown: Pay relief funds to households, unemployed Nigerians through BVN - Tinubu advises FG

Police Dismantle Roadblocks, Desert Lagos Roads

Katsina, Highest Recipient Of Conditional Cash Transfer

COVID-19: Fayemi Asks FG To Help Out States Financially

Ayade Approves N30,000 Monthly Salary For 8,000 Youths

Ogun To Suspend Lockdown Free Days On Friday

I Am Still COVID-19 Positive, El-Rufai Speaks From Isolation

Nigerians With Over N5,000 In Bank Won’t Get Palliatives