Covid-19: Buhari’s palliative measures; A call for concern?

The Mohamadu Buhari led federal government claimed to have reached two million, six hundred (2,600,000) poor homes with Twenty Thousand Naira (N20,000.00) each as palliative for the sit at home occasioned by the continuous spread of Coronavirus discovered in December 2019 in Wihan China.

Over a million people have been infected by this pandemic with records of over fifty thousand deaths globally. Economies across the world have shut down, international trade at the lowest ebb and sociopolitical expectations seem very dim all over.

This is a time that serious nations and well meaning individuals are in sober reflection and deep thinking on how the poor can be provided for and how to come out stronger from this ravaging epidemic. Rightly so.
The Buhari led federal government announced on Thursday 2nd day of April, 2020 through Sadiya Umar Farouk , the minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development that they have distributed Twenty Thousand Naira (N20,000.00) each to Two million, six hundred (2,600,000.00) poor homes.

As simple as this sounds, elementary arithmetic shows that the government had expanded 52 Billion Naira in caring for the very poor in a few States including Katsina and the FCT as claimed.

Firstly, how was this mind blowing figure distributed? Secondly, who distributed? Thirdly, why being selective in the distribution when the entire nation is affected? Is the 97% / 5% at display at this very critical time in life? Finally, is this figure the usual magic figure or existential reality?

Come to think of it, the method applied in the distribution of food items adopted by this administration could be counter productive as lack of orderliness has become the order. Can they apply some sense of decency in their manner of distribution in order to reduce the chances of widespread explosion of this Covid-19?

Let me conclude by beseeching the Almighty God to continue to be our strength in our weaknesses.

Christian U. Abu.