"In Africa, Nigeria Is The Best In The Provision Of Palliatives To Citizens" - Minister

The Federal Government has revealed that funds donated by the private sector to fighting coronavirus are meant for the development of healthcare infrastructure and cannot be used to provide palliatives during the lockdown.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Tuesday on a Radio Nigeria programme, “Politics Nationwide”, monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

While responding to comments from Nigerians requesting that part of the billions of naira being donated by public-spirited individuals and private institutions should be shared to the people to cushion the effect of the extended lockdown.

The minister said that the Presidential Task Force for the Control of coronavirus was neither with the money nor in control of it, and could not share a penny from the fund to anyone.

He said,

“The private sector donors are not giving any cash to the federal government and they have made this clear to the people.

“They said they will support the fight against the pandemic by asking government where they want healthcare infrastructure to be provided.

“What government has done is to request them to build a 30-bed isolation ward and a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit in each state in the country.

“In addition, the federal government has given them a list of equipment and commodities that will also be needed

“Therefore, the issue of using their donations to provide palliative cannot arise."

Mohammed further said that in addressing the issue of palliative, every country adopted a peculiar strategy that was workable and acceptable.

He said that Nigeria is leading and remains the best in the whole of Africa in the area of provision of palliative to citizens as the world battles the scourge.

The minister said that the federal government had taken a lot of measures to cushion the effects of Covid-19 on Nigerians, including food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers.