The Senate and Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation have disagreed over the hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives.

The Director, Media, and Publicity of the Muhammadu Buhari 2019 Presidential Campaign Committee, Kailani Muhammad, had at the weekend, berated unnamed governors and federal lawmakers for their alleged role in hoarding palliatives meant for distribution to Nigerians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said their action “revealed how selfish elected leaders have become”.

Muhammad, who lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his investment in the youth population, said had leaders across other layers of government done a fraction of what Buhari did, the fortune of the youths would have been better than it is today.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, Muhammad said that but for the twist in the #EndSARS protests, Nigerians wouldn’t have known that foodstuffs meant for distribution were safely in warehouses for reasons unknown to millions across the country.

His words: “The average Nigerian hardly eats two meals a day, but our politicians from the National Assembly and the governors cruise flamboyantly in Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) around town. I am optimistic that this #EndSARS movement will jilt them out of stupor. The protesters have touched the conscience of a mass section of the various stratum of our nation across board. What our so-called leaders need to do now is to sit back and think deeply about where they went wrong.

“It was during the protests that Nigerians got to know that President Buhari had long ago, approved a whooping N75 billion for Youth Investment Fund (YIF) that is meant to empower the youth stratum with a loan facility ranging from N250, 000 to N50million. That was a heartwarming revelation. Moreover, over N53 billion was approved for state governors, apart from the palliatives from the Humanitarian Ministry”.

In a counter-statement yesterday by its spokesman, Ajibola Basiru, the senate described the allegation as either wicked lies or deliberate misinformation on the part of Muhammad.

Basiru said that the lawmakers never received any COVID-19 palliative from either Mr. President or the Federal Government for onward distribution to their constituents.

The senate’s statement read in part:
“While not speaking for the governors, I make bold to say that no federal lawmaker, and indeed, no senator received any kobo from Mr. President or any foodstuff or any material for that matter, talk less of hoarding them.

“Rather, at the senate, we donated half of the members’ salaries for the purpose of cushioning the effect of COVID 19.

“We legislators equally played our part by purchasing and distributing palliatives to people at our different constituencies. So it is quite unfortunate for Muhammad or anyone to castigate us in the public and saying what is not true.”

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, emphasised the need to thoroughly investigate deep causes of the chaos that led to the destruction of life and property in Lagos State amid #EndSARS protests.

Osinbajo, who spoke at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund, said that the violence that took place portends a major economic setback for Nigeria.

According to him, there are many ways that the future of the country is closely tied to the fortune of the state, stressing that the state leads in the collection of non-oil revenues.

The Vice President, who disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari was awaiting the full report of the incident, added that the Executive was having a conversation with the National Assembly on the collaboration that must take place between the Executive and the Legislature to fast-track the reconstruction efforts.

“I don’t know how the noble course such as the #Endsars protest designed to call attention to a serious problem of the brutality of extra-judicial killings by law enforcement agents can be subverted and lead to the exact opposite of its objective, chaos, murder, looting, and arson.

“We have seen what can happen when the strings of law and order are loosed and anarchy is given a free rein. Society is bent on balances between freedom and order.

“We have also realised that order itself in a social context is sustained by the consent of the governed.
MEANWHILE, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the House was ready to support the interventions of the Federal Government to rebuild Lagos and other states worst-hit by the protests.

Gbajabiamila also tasked Lagosians to put heads and resources together to rebuild the state in view of the destruction of property worth billions of naira in the state.

He said he was heartbroken after going round the state for an on-the-spot assessment of the devastation that followed the unrest.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said: “The violence has no doubt set our economy back by tens of billions of naira, and impacted our confidence. We have, however, found hope and great strength in the offers of assistance from far and wide, which culminated in the constitution of the Lagos Rebuild Committee to co-ordinate our efforts to rebuild and upgrade our state.

Also, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who stated that the public and private sector must address youths’ unemployment, said: “If youths’ unemployment is left unchallenged, it can provide ground for our youths to engage in nefarious activities that could be harmful to the progress of the country.

“We must therefore seek to promote increasing policies that will equip our youths in the right skills that will support innovation, employment, and wealth creation.”

Worried by the shutdown of the nation’s universities for about eight months, governors have asked the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shift grounds.

They are pleading with the Federal Government to create a temporary salary payment window pending the outcome of the ongoing testing of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), recommended by ASUU.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA is already subjecting UTAS to test.

It was learnt that the governors have met with some past leaders of ASUU on how to end the strike on mutual terms.

ASUU has been on strike since March 23, leading to a near loss of 2019/2020 academic session.

The nation’s varsities may also record admission backlogs, should the crisis persist beyond December.

According to investigation, the governors are disturbed by the consequences of the continued closure of the universities on the future of younger generation.

The governors felt the deadlock in talks between ASUU and the Federal Government was amenable.

It was also gathered that the governors felt they could fill in the gaps between the two parties without bruising any side.

A source, who was in the know of the intervention, said they identified the row over IPPIS as compounding the negotiation with ASUU.

The source said: “The governors have met behind-the-scene with all the ministers either involved or connected with the negotiation with ASUU.

“During a session with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, the governors’ representatives asked the Federal Government to create a temporary salary payment window which can be a stop-gap between IPPIS and UTAS.

“They said the temporary payment modality will subsist until UTAS or any other payment is agreed upon by both parties. They said the nation cannot afford to continue to shut down its varsities endlessly.”

A governor told our correspondent: “We have reached out to past and present ASUU leaders to put the interest of the nation above personal desires.

“Our main message to all the parties is to shift grounds on all the issues at the negotiation table.

“The two sides need to face the reality of the economic challenges at hand and accommodate all issues within the nation’s capacity. We believe, there are quick win demands of ASUU and there are long-term ones. But with sincere dialogue, the Federal Government and ASUU can reach amicable agreement.”

The conciliator between the two parties, Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige, last week said the Federal Government had tried its best to meet the demands of ASUU.

Ngige said only three things needed to be resolved.

He listed the additional concessions given to ASUU as follows:

• Receipt of ASUU’s University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) salary payment proposal and presentation to NITDA for verification 
• Readiness of the government to pay N40b for Earned Allowances for ASUU members, other unions
• FG to set up visitation panels for all universities
• The FG-ASUU renegotiation team likely for inauguration. 
• N20billion for the revitalization of universities. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday released its updated economic funding support totalling $99 billion to 70 emerging and developing economies to tackle COVID-19 pandemic.

In an emailed report, the IMF said it advanced $29 billion under the Rapid Credit Facility and Rapid Financing instrument to Nigeria and other beneficiary countries.

Nigeria got $3.4 billion of the $29 billion to enable it strengthen balance of payment and local currency.

The fund said other countries also benefited from the support fund through other channels, including augmentations under existing programmes, to the tune of over $70 billion, thus bringing the total support fund to the $99 billion.

Many African countries like Ghana, Gabon and South Africa, among others, have been knocking on the IMF’s door for financial assistance to fight the pandemic.

As the virus plunged Africa into its deepest recession in decades, IMF continued to support many of the member countries to pull out of the financial implications on their economies.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the fund was meant to assist Nigeria’s fight against COVID-19 and resolve urgent balance of payment needs.

The fund said even compared to previous crises such as the Ebola epidemic, the needs triggered by this current pandemic are unprecedented.

“The fund’s rapid response helped many countries to contain and mitigate the impact of this external shock,’’ according to the report.

This financial assistance does not have traditional IMF conditionalities and phasing of disbursements over time. But countries still undertake policy commitments to address their difficulties, and governance commitments about how those resources are to be spent.

The Fund said the human toll and global economic disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented demand for financing.

The multilateral institution added that it had provided relief to more than one-third of its membership.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, the IMF has responded rapidly and decisively to meet urgent and exceptional demand for financial assistance from its membership,” it said in the statement.

Since March 2020, 70 members, including many low-income countries, have received financial support under the two instruments created to address urgent financing needs that may arise from natural disasters (including pandemics, earthquakes and hurricanes).

The IMF explained that in April, it approved a broad package of reforms, which built on previous changes to strengthen the reach and flexibility of financial assistance under these facilities.

The IMF disclosed that across Africa, countries are trying to build buffers to strengthen their economies, and for Nigeria, it is through the collection of taxes.

It said Nigeria should use the crisis to transform into a more resilient economy.