Households Should Get N10k COVID-19 Relief -Atiku

By Ayodele Oluwafemi

Atiku Abubakar has urged the Federal Government to provide palliative measures to Nigerians by distributing the sum of N10,000 to each household to tenable them meet the economic demands occasioned by the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Abubakar, who was the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019, gave the advice in a statement on his Facebook page, on Wednesday.

He noted that the sum of N10,000 would assist Nigerians to buy supplement like foodstuffs, in the midst of the shut down of some economic activities.

In many nations of the world, precisely Canada and US, Governments are already putting plans in place for packages during this period, to relieve their citizens of economic hardship due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

He also urged the National Assembly to reconvene in an emergency session to legislate a Stimulus Package Act that will cater for all Nigerian citizens, during this period.

Read his full statement

As the coronavirus pandemic ravages the world, I applaud the various Nigerian state governments who have proactively taken measures, such as issui ng stay at home orders, and shutting down non-essential markets and other places of mass gatherings, while also giving guidelines for social distancing.

However, we must accept the fact that much of the Nigerian public have a subsistence existence. A large percentage of our people do not have the financial capacity to withstand long periods of self-isolation and even lockdown.

It is, therefore, incumbent on the Federal and state governments to provide palliatives to the Nigerian people to enable them to survive, even as they abide by these necessary measures put in place for their safety.

At an approximate 30 million households or thereabouts, the government should devise modalities to distribute N10,000 as a supplement for foodstuff to each household, among other palliative measures, with no one left behind.

It is thus time for the National Assembly to reconvene in an emergency session, perhaps by teleconference (in line with the demands of social distancing), to legislate a Stimulus Package Act that will cater for all Nigerian citizens.

I also call on all Mobile Telephony Companies in Nigeria to urgently develop mobile money platforms so that the government can reach the unbanked with financial assistance. I also urge these telecommunications firms to offer each of the 100 million mobile phone lines in Nigeria free credit of at least ₦1500 per mobile line, so that Nigerians who show symptoms, or those who just want information, can call the nearest available health facility, or even an ambulance service, as the case may be.

I commend all individuals and corporate organisations who have one way or the other provided some form of relief for the Nigerian people. In essence, this is what makes Nigeria great, when we help each other at such crisis times as this, irrespective of any differences. I further call on more corporations and individuals with capacity, to assist the public in these trying times.

To this end, Priam Group pledges N50 million on my behalf as my humble contribution to a relief Fund that will form part of the stimulus package.

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