Africa Press-Nigeria:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq to task over alleged diversion of funds provided by the Federal Government for COVID-19 palliatives.
The PDP, in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused the Minister and some federal government officials of cover up in the alleged diversion of the said funds.
The Federal Government had, in the thick of the COVID-19 lockdown, released N500 billion and food items to the Humanitarian Ministry for the purpose of getting palliatives across to poor Nigerians to cushion the effects of the lockdown.
The PDP however alleged the N500 billion and the food items were diverted by government officials making it look like the palliatives were looted by hoodlums that hijacked the #EndSARS protests in many states across the country.
According to the party, the palliatives looted by the hoodlums from warehouses across the country were donated by CACOVID, a private initiative set up by some wealthy Nigerians to assist the poor weather through the economic hardship occasioned by the lockdown.
The statement said: “The PDP is appalled by the scandalous attempt by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, to create an impression that the CACOVID palliatives besieged in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests were the same federal government palliatives for which she is required to give account.
“Our party wants to inform the Minister that such infantile antics cannot sway Nigerians, as the public is already aware that CACOVID palliatives came from donations from wells meaning individuals and organizations which is completely different from the N500 billion voted by the federal government, which has not been accounted for.
“If anything, this attempt by the Minister to muddle-up issues and confuse Nigerians only goes to validate allegations of stealing and diversion of funds and palliatives provided by the Federal Government and placed under her purview.
“Of course, the CACOVID palliatives have nothing to do with the alleged stealing and diversion of funds in the cash disbursement of N20, 000 to undocumented beneficiaries leading to widespread outcry by Nigerians that bulk of the money may have been diverted.
“The embattled Minister has not explained the reason for the obvious circumventing of statutory public finance report system and appropriate documentations by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), leading to the alleged diversion of funds to private purses”.
The party further stated the CACOVID palliatives had nothing to do with the billions of claimed by the Minister to have been spent on school feeding at a time the schools were shut and school children were in their respective homes in different locations across the country.
“It is revealing to state that our party had earlier gotten winds of allegations in the public space that some indicted federal officials compromised arrangements at CACOVID warehouses to trigger an invasion by agitating Nigerians, as a decoy to frustrate investigation into the alleged stealing and diverting of federal government palliatives by government officials.
