COVID-19 Palliatives: Falana Wants Government To Tender Apology
Human Rights activist and lawyer, Mr Femi Falana has reacted to reports about how warehouses for COVID-palliatives were discovered and looted in some states across the country. Reacting to the reports, Falana asked the Nigerian Government to tender an apology for hoarding the palliatives meant to be distributed to vulnerable citizens at the peak of the pandemic.
It was gathered that the COVID-19 warehouses were discovered in places like Lagos, Jos, Kaduna, Calabar, Ilorin, Ibadan and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja. Falana described the hoarding of the relief materials as crimes against humanity.
The Senior Advocate further likens the hoarding to cases whereby some public officers diverted the money for providing palliatives to how they diverted the funds meant for the internally displaced people.
Falana who bemoaned the stampedes that have led to losses of lives in some parts of the country stated that members of the ruling class in Nigeria will need to have a serious rethink. He warned that the government should be very careful not to provoke the people to violence adding that every Nigerian is entitled to the protection of his or her life or property.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, has explained the rationale behind keeping the palliatives where they were found before it got looted. Reacting to the alleged hoarding, the forum described the allegation as inaccurate and mischievous noting that the palliatives had the CACOVID stamp embossed on them, an indication that their source is unambiguous.
According to the NGF, some states that had palliatives in their warehouses chose to keep a strategic reserve ahead of a projected second wave of COVID-19 ( read more here ).