The Nigeria’s Governors Forum on Monday, denied allegations that state governors had hoarded palliatives meant for distribution to Nigerians, citing that the items found in some states were kept “ahead of a projected second wave of COVID-19.”
Recall that over nine warehouses across states in Nigeria were raided by residents who carted away COVID-19 palliative items; some of which were said to have expired.
Thus, the forum, in a statement titled, ‘Governors and the CACOVID Palliatives,’ signed by the Head, Media and Public Affairs of the NGF, Abudulrazaque Bello-Barkindo falsified the claims, insisting that “it is not just inaccurate, entirely erroneous and untrue but also mischievous, to say the least.”
The statement read in part, “The NGF reemphasises 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.
“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.
“Some other states that still had palliatives in their warehouses chose to keep a strategic reserve ahead of a projected second wave of COVID-19,” Bello-Barkindo said.
Bello-Barkindo further said, “For the avoidance of doubt, some of the palliatives had the CACOVID stamp embossed on them, meaning that their source is unambiguous.
“As we know, CACOVID operations are mainly domiciled in Lagos, being the headquarters of most of the public-spirited organisations, corporate bodies and individuals that came together to form the Coalition Against COVID-19 -CACOVID.
“As of a couple of weeks ago, some states were still receiving palliatives from the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.”
However, the forum assured all contributors to the palliatives that prior to the looting of these warehouses, states had kept full accounts of all the items received and distributed.
Concerning the EndSARS protests, the forum said that several meetings have been held to address the demands of the protesters, noting that governors have since set up judicial panels of inquiry to look into the cases of police brutality and extra-judicial killings.
