Following allegations of hoarding COVID-19 palliatives, governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) debunked hoarding the palliatives intended for distribution to poor Nigerians to curb the hardship induced by the pandemic.
The governors in a statement titled, ‘Governors and the CACOVID Palliatives,’ issued by Abudulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, Head of Media and Public Affairs of the NGF, said some state governors delayed distribution of all the palliatives to ‘keep a strategic reserve ahead of a projected second wave of COVID-19’.
The AGF said governors have set up judicial panels of inquiry to address concerns of the #EndSARS movement and to prosecute officers of the Nigeria Police that violated the right of individuals.
According to the statement, the NGF said, “The NGF regrets the loss of lives and property occasioned by the violent protests that erupted, and calls for calm.
“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.
“The erroneous impression in the public domain that these palliatives were hoarded is not just inaccurate, entirely erroneous and untrue but also mischievous, to say the least.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, some of the palliatives had the CACOVID stamp embossed on them, meaning that their source is unambiguous.
“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.
“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.”
The forum assured donors of the palliatives that proper record of the items were kept prior to the looting of the warehouses.