As state governors continue face intense scrutiny over the large quantity of undistributed palliatives items found in warehouses within their domain, a group, the Resource Centre for Human Rights&Civic Education (CHRICED) has berated them for refusing to distribute the COVID-19 relief materials to Nigerians at a time the people needed them the most. In a strongly worded press statement signed by its Executive Director, Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, the group dismissed the governors’ explanation that the materials were being kept in readiness for the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be recalled that on October 26, the Nigeria Governors Forum issued a statement to debunk accusations that its members horded palliatives meant to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on Nigerians. Despite the clarification, many rights groups have dismissed the explanations, just as they called for openness on the role played by the governors in delaying the distribution of items meant to provide relief to citizens.
On its part, CHRICED specifically flayed the governors of fueling the ongoing unrest in the country through the deliberate starving citizens to the point of forcing them to resort to self-help. The group warned that the unfolding situation across the country wherein mobs of hungry and impoverished citizens have been breaking into warehouses to loot items, will not augur well for the country.
“We strongly condemn the insensitivity and unacceptable callousness of governors across states who received palliatives items from the Federal Government, yet left them in warehouses to rot away. It is the height of extreme wickedness that at a time the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the economy, resulting in many job losses, and the closure of businesses, state governors could not be moved by the plight of the ordinary citizens.
“It is unbelievable that the quantum of palliatives materials being discovered across the states were available for distribution to citizens, yet out of sheer predilection for evil and lack of empathy, the governors failed to hand them over to citizens dying of hunger and starvation.”
Subsequently, the group cautioned the governors against misuse of state power to carry out reprisals against citizens who helped themselves to palliative items because of the pangs of hunger. It said: “Having exhibited such a malevolent level of callousness against the people, a number of the governors are attempting to add insult to the injury of citizens by wasting public funds to embark on house to house search to recover materials taken from COVID-19 storage points.
“Some governors have even threatened to demolish the homes of citizens where looted COVID-19 palliatives are discovered. While we do not endorse any kind of looting, the draconian moves by the same governors who created the problem in the first place is unacceptable. It is disgraceful that these same governors who could not move from house to house to deliver COVID-19 palliatives, have suddenly found the energy to look for palliatives in the homes of citizens.”
On the impact of the looting on private businesses, the group called for compensation of business owners whose warehouses were invaded by mobs. It said: “In the face of the collateral damage caused by these mob actions, CHRICED sympathizes with private businesses which have suffered losses as a result of mistaken identity, resulting in the mobs invading their private warehouses to cart away items purchased with private funds.
“CHRICED calls for compensation of such private businesses affected by the descent into anarchy seen in the last one week. The funds for such compensation should be drawn from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) COVID-19 stimulus package,” it said.
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