River State Governor Nyesom Wike says disbursement of funds to contain the COVID-19 ooutbreak in the country has become political.
Recall that On Thursday, March 26, 2020, President Buhari ordered the immediate release of a ₦10billion grant to Lagos State Government led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and N5billion to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
Wike disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday April 5, 2020, he said;
“It is quite unfortunate that the containment of coronavirus has been politicized by the federal government. While Lagos state received a grant of ₦10billion as a commercial hub, Rivers State as the nation’s oil and gas hub that produces a greater percentage of the nation’s wealth has not received any support from the federal government.”
“One wonders why the federal government should single out a state out of 36 states to give support. Does it mean that support will come when a state has a record of over 50 infected persons?
“No state should be seen as more important than any other state. This is a federal republic. No state is superior to others.
“Rivers State is entitled to support from the federal government. Every day, we are inundated with letters from the federal government to allow oil companies to fly in expatriates to drill oil.
“Then we ask, what is the status of those coming from Lagos? Nobody has told us their status as regards coronavirus.
“If they come to Rivers without us knowing their status, what will be the implication assuming they have the virus?” Wike added.
This online news medium had reported that Nigeria on Sunday April 5, 2020 recorded 8 new cases of the deadly Coronavirus, of the eight new cases, 5 was recorded in Lagos, 2 in the FCT and 1 in Kaduna State bringing total number of confirmed cases in country to 232.
Read also: Coronavirus: Sanwo-Olu Must Be Probed Over COVID-19 – PDP
Lagos State currently has the highest number of cases in Nigeria with 115 confirmed COVID-19 Cases — Abuja has the second highest confirmed coronavirus cases with 45 cases.
Meanwhile River State has 1 confirmed case at the time of this writing this report.
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