Zahra Buhari-Indimi, fifth daughter of the President has defended her father saying that the discovery of food items and other COVID-19 palliatives in several warehouses across the country is evidence that her father is not Nigeria’s problem.
Zahra who said this in an Instagram post on Sunday wrote, “Now that people confirmed that Buhari distributed enough palliatives nationwide, it is clear Buhari is not our problem.”
Thousands of Nigerians have in the last few days plundered warehouses in several states including Lagos, Plateau, Osun, and Kwara in the wake of the COVID-19 protests.
In some instances, COVID-19 palliatives donated by the private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 were found in private homes of politicians.
Some of the items include cartons of noodles, sacks of garri, and bags of rice, some of which had spoilt due to poor and prolonged storage.
In Osun State, the government said it was waiting for officials from Abuja to come “commission” the goods hence the delay in distributing them while in Lagos, the Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, SOB Agunbiade, said he kept the palliatives in his Ikorodu home because he wanted to distribute them on his birthday.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives in warehouses in several states.
SERAP also urged the ICPC “to visit the states where COVID-19 palliatives have been discovered in warehouses, and to track and monitor the distribution of palliatives across the 36 states of the country, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to remove the risks of diversion, and ensure that the palliatives get to those most in need, and not used for political or corrupt purposes.”
Several Nigerians had complained about the high rate of poverty in the country compounded by the lockdown ordered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several business moguls including industrialist, Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, Oba Otudeko, Folorunsho Alakija, Tony Elumelu, and several others had donated over N30 billion in cash and food items to assist federal and state governments in tackling the COVID-19 challenge.
However, there have been complaints by several groups that monies and items had been diverted, an allegation which the ICPC is investigating.
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