– The federal government has revealed the categories of Nigerians who will get palliatives amid coronavirus
– The government said that these persons include the poor and people living with disabilities
– The federal government has also handed over the task of the distribution of the palliatives to state governors
Amid coronavirus, the federal government has said that its palliatives will be given to very poor persons in the country and those who are living with disabilities.
This was revealed by the minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, on Monday, April 13, in Abuja, Daily Trust reports.
Moreover, in response to the request by state governors, the federal government has handed over the task of the distribution of palliatives to governors amid coronavirus.
The new decision of the Nigerian government was announced by Umar-Farouk in her speech at a national briefing on the efforts of the federal government to assist governors with funds.
The minister said: “…we’ve decided to hand over these food relief (items) to the state governors for onward redistribution to their citizens, the poor and vulnerable in the society.”
Speaking further, the minister revealed that the government has distributed truckloads of food items to Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states, adding that the gesture has also been extended to Imo and Ebonyi.
Umar-Farouk on Wednesday, April 1, said that this is part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to help vulnerable Nigerians to cope with the lockdown order over coronavirus.
Umar-Farouk added that the disbursement of the funds will continue for four months starting from March 2020.
The minister said: “We have directed immediate cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable households in the country. “Because of this COVID-19, the vulnerable groups have to expand, because we are aware that there are people who live on daily wage…”
Meanwhile, the federal government had said that it would reach out to at least 11 million Nigerians with reliefs to cushion the discomforting effect of measures set in place to tackle the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The proposed move by the government was revealed on Tuesday, March 31, by Umar Farouk. Sadiya, speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, revealed that the federal government had a list of vulnerable persons who would be beneficiaries in the country and that such category of citizens belongs to about 2.6 million households.
