Covid 19 Fund by corporate bodies not palliative – Lai Mohammed

– Steve Ovirih.

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has burst the hope of people hoping to turn the huge safety net of contribution by private individuals and corporate bodies into their largess.
Alhaji Mohammed while briefing the press earlier today clarified the issue surrounding the huge fund contributed in the past weeks by well spirited Nigerians .
He said the essence of the fund is not to be doled out as palliatives as a section of the general public is thinking. Mohammed emphasised that the fund is a support given to the Federal Government on behalf of Nigerians and it will be used to build world class health facilities that will cater to the present challenge of fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The minister added that part of the fund will also be used to procure personal preventive equipment (PPE) and other necessary aid kits.

While disabusing the mind of Nigerians on the safety of the fund, Mohammed stressed that the fund is not in the custody of the Presidential Task Force on covid 19, so the issue doesn’t arise that it will be budgeted on and distributed to vulnerable Nigerians as palliatives.

It will be recalled that Federal Government had earmarked over 3 billion naira to be shared across the country as palliatives through conditional cash transfer to the poor , vulnerable and low income earners. Part of this fund was shared by the ministry of Disaster management in Katsina and other part of the north last week.