COVID-19: Relief Package or Post-election Relief Campaign

• COVID-19: Relief Package or Post-election Relief Campaign

After much persuasions and protests from Nigerians for food amidst the lockdown, the Lagos State government announced its relief package program.

A plan is as good as its implementation process. The relief package was perceived as an answer to prayers of many Nigerians but lack of proper distribution process to ensure the relief package got to the projected citizens has turned the whole program to ‘post-election relief campaign.’

The relief package was delivered to the local governments with the expectation that they would do better in reaching the most vulnerable of their community. However, it’s disheartening when the local government representatives politicized the distribution with party members been the main beneficiaries despite the pervasiveness of the situation.

A bag of the relief package consists of two kg of rice, one kg of beans, one slice bread, three sachets of tomato paste and if lucky, it will include one kilogram of Garri.

The distribution of the relief package and the content was a joke, one Local community Development Association (LCDA), which consists of more than three streets, was sent one bag of the relief package to be shared among 30 houses and more after party members have taken theirs.

In all these anomalies, citizens – the very same people that voted these leaders – were seen frequenting chairman’s house to request for their share of the relief package announced by the state government. However, many were disappointed as they left with renewed hunger.

In a country with a high rate of corruption, such as Nigeria, the relief package should have been distributed within the street and package dropped at each house, not handed over to local government leaders that are now using it as a post-election campaign for loyal party members.

Despite the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 373, these local leaders continue to ask citizens to converge for relief package, negating the social distance policy of the government.

When hunger sets in, social distancing becomes an enemy and cease to exist.