ASO ROCK WATCH: Now that Buhari is begging for more COVID-19 funds. 2 other talking points 

To whom much is given…

President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking all the help he can get to contain COVID-19 which is sweeping across the country. Funds remain one necessity towards accomplishing this feat as fighting a pandemic is usually a costly venture.

While extolling public-spirited Nigerians and organizations for their financial and material support towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, last week, he called for more donations from Nigerians. Buhari’s plea was made public in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

“We are facing a national challenge and all hands must be on deck to navigate, all types of assistance are welcome, big or small. The spirit behind the contributions is salutary,” the President stressed.

Since the first index case of COVID-19 in the country was reported on February 27, several billions of Naira have been donated by captains of industries, corporate organizations and individuals to fight the pandemic.

According to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, as of April 17, donations to the private sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) fund domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was N25.8 billion.

The framework for spending notes that the Minister would liaise with the National Assembly for the emergency passage of the 2020 supplementary budget. This is to enable the utilisation of the donated funds which have been under the supervision of CACOVID and held by the CBN.

In this way, funds collected directly by the CBN and those domiciled with commercial banks would be disbursed through appropriation. “Funds are to be appropriated directly to participating MDAs and spreading units like Ministry of Health, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, etc rather than to an intermediary agency like the Presidential Task Force (PTF),” the framework specified.

Mr President gets commendation for opening up on the amount of money that has been donated so far. The act says a lot about his commitment to transparency and the anti-corruption war.

Like Oliver Twist, however, Nigerians are asking for more. Beyond transparency, there must be a commitment to accountability, especially now that President Buhari is asking for more funds.

At the risk of feeling entitled, Mr President can impress Nigerians further by giving, at least, a quarterly account of how the monies from public-spirited citizens have been spent on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is it not said that, to whom much is given, much is expected?

2 other talking points

That N15bn Ganduje snub

Eyebrows were raised when Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on April 22, revealed that his State had applied for N15bn from the Federal Government to fight the coronavirus outbreak in the State.

He met a loud silence at the Presidency that left many wondering why a supposed ally of Buhari could be so treated.

Well, the President’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, gave an insight past week. He literarily said that the Federal Government was unsure of anything Ganduje had done to deserve handing over N25bn to him in the name of fighting COVID-19.

And, guess what, the bitter pill was further shoved down Ganduje’s throat when he was reminded that Lagos State had worked hard to earn government’s N10bn.

Read also: ASO ROCK WATCH: Is under-pressure Buhari pampering Gov Ganduje? 2 other talking points

“Technical support is very important. Lagos State got technical support before it got financial support. Manpower support is very good facility support, very good. And then, when it comes to financial support, the federal government will always do whatever is necessary to support,” Adesina averred.

Again, Buhari deserves some commendation for speaking truth to Ganduje who has increasingly shown poor leadership capacity. Not that the President himself is without blemish but this peer review exercise is one that is sure to help improve quality of governance.

So, Mr President is advised to remember the log in his own eyes as he endeavours to right the ills confronting leadership at every level.

For Ganduje, and many of his peers, it’s time for serious introspection. The message in Buhari’s body language is that the rape to which the country’s meager resources have subjected to must stop.

Thank you, Abacha!

Past week, Nigeria reportedly received $311 million of alleged stolen funds by former Military ruler, General Sani Abacha, from the United States of America and Jersey. This was disclosed in a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. The statement notes that the funds have already been earmarked for the execution of several national key projects.

“These funds have already been allocated, and will be used in full, for vital and decades – overdue infrastructure development. The second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressways – creating tens of thousands of Nigerian construction jobs and local skills, which can then be useful in future projects,” the statement reads in part.

Again, kudos to the Presidency for choosing the path of transparency and accountability. Needless to say that Buhari could have chosen to do otherwise, while hapless Nigerians would simply fold their arms and recline in utter helplessness.

Nonetheless, the point that must be noted is that Abacha stole Nigeria dry! Recent revelations put to shame all claims in the past, by those who currently strut the the seat of power, that the late maximum ruler was not what we thought he was…a ‘bloody thief!’

Nigerians want all stolen monies and will not forget in hurry those who failed woefully to give the late dark-goggle-wearing dictator a pass mark.

By John Chukwu…

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