COVID-19: CUPP queries FG method of sharing money to poor Nigerians, says it’s an attempt to loot

The Nigerian Government’s method of sharing money to poor citizens in order to cushion the effects of COVID-19 has been condemned by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

The CUPP said the manner by which the palliative was being shared remained nothing but a “joke, child’s play, and another mundane political trick and window dressing that will aid stealing and unaccountability.”

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, had this week announced that government had started payment of N20, 000 each to 5000 beneficiaries of its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

But in a statement CUPP National Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere made available to newsmen, he said:

“With an estimated 10.6million people in the government social register, and giving the President’s directive that each person should get 2 month’s payment, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development began sharing cash to the people.

“How many thousands of poor people will this woman use her hand to share money in such a way to achieve the essence of reaching out to the most vulnerable? Does she expect to tell Nigerians that she shared over N200,000,000,000:00 (Two Hundred Billion Naira) only by cash?

“Can the Federal Government convince the citizens that this money got to the real poorest of the poor in the communities?

“Was this money not shared to political party members as some of those seen in videos and photos were expensively dressed and could not have qualified as the very vulnerable group.

“Was there any mechanism of monitoring these officials who government has given N200,000,000,000:00 cash or did they have direct instructions on the number of people to pay and the amount to remit to the pockets of the individuals in the Presidential Villa?

“So how can there be accountability with this method? How is she selecting those she is giving this cash? So if she shares money to a few hundred people who will reach the remaining millions that are in need of this palliative?

“How can the Federal Government be directly involved in sharing money when we have Local Government Areas, Traditional Rulers and Town Unions that can help reach the poorest of the poor assuming the government needs to have a sustainable and effective way of distributing the cash?

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“This is not the palliative that can reduce tension and help people who are sitting at home to have food.

“This method by the Federal government is a joke, child’s play and another mundane political trick and window dressing that will aid stealing and unaccountability.

“It is capable of igniting the real poorest of the poor to action and could be a recipe for social unrest and hunger induced violence.”

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