The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) have shredded President Muhammadu Buhari’s second COVID-19 broadcast to the nation yesterday saying it failed to address pressing needs of Nigerians.
The president had in the broadcast extended the lockdown placed on the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun state to stem the tide of the spread of the coronavirus disease by another 14 days.
Initial 14-day lockdown in the three areas which began on March 30 ended yesterday.
In the speech, Buhari had directed the expansion of the current social register from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million in the next phase of the lockdown.
But the PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, described the speech as “disappointing” adding that it failed to address palliatives
The party said the speech, just like pre-recorded broadcast of March 29, 2020, failed to address salient issues of urgent concern to Nigerians in their daily struggle against the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The party said the president “again failed to show leadership and displayed total lack of touch with reality as he failed to give any hope on palliatives to the ordinary Nigerians as they face hunger and economic pangs of the lockdown.
“It is more painful that President Buhari could not address the immediate needs of the people or provide a trajectory that will take care of their future.
“Instead, Mr. President bored our nation with a rehash of global data already known to Nigerians in addition to promises that are far-flung departures from the harsh realities on the ground.
“Nigerians expected Mr. President to directly address the established failures of his palliatives distribution, particularly the provision of funds to the poorest of the poor, which has been marred by allegations of corruption and diversion of funds. This is in addition to allegations of diversion of rice and other food items meant for the poor masses.
‘Can Mr. President claim not to be aware that not a handful of Nigerians have received any palliatives and that huge majority of our citizens are complaining that they have not been reached with any panacea despite his administration’s claim of having reached 2.6 million household?
“Announcing the expansion of the palliative scope to 3.6 million households without addressing the failure of the scheme and with no parameter to showcase the declared expansion is an encouragement of the corrupt system that has been depriving Nigerians,” said Ologbondiyan.
The PDP challenged the president to disprove Nigerians by publishing documents showing the beneficiaries of the claimed 2.6 million household social intervention, the benefiting communities as well as the parameters that will be deployed for the additional one million household.”
“Our party holds that what have been witnessed in the last two weeks is a total incapacity and fraud by those he has currently charged with the responsibility of taking palliatives to the people.
“Already, there are serious agitations and unrests in Lagos, Ogun and some parts of the FCT where Nigerians, who earn their means of livelihood on daily basis and who have been locked out from their means of subsistence and can no longer withstand the pangs of hunger, are becoming restless.
“Our party still believes that Mr. President needs to quickly retool his approach and adopt an all-encompassing model that will take care of the hunger and deprivations, which this lockdown has imposed on Nigerians
“President Buhari should be forthcoming on what palliatives are accruable, in the immediate, to each state of the federation in this national fight against the pandemic.
“This is because, given our peculiar federal system, we still insist that the fastest approach to reach the people is through the state and local governments using methods like traditional institutions, community leadership and faith based organizations,” said Ologbondiyan.
The PDP therefore charged the president to reorder his approach to cover the incentives his administration will provide to save the lives and jobs of Nigerians and then address the nation again accordingly.
For its part, the PRP said the president showed lack of understanding of ineffectiveness and futility of the lockdown.
The party, in a statement by its national chairman, Mr. Falalu Bello, described the extension of the lockdown as unrealistic, insensitive and disappointing.
He said Nigeria’s COVID-19 response strategy with terms such as aggressive enforcement of total lockdown, flattening of the curve, contact tracing, self-isolation though good on paper was drawn in total disregard to Nigeria’s environment and circumstances.
He said a complete lockdown might be useful and effective in developed economies and societies such as Europe and North America.
However, he said in Nigeria where infrastructure such as housing, public transportation, sanitation and water supply are at best in rudimentary stages, a wholesale copy of the lockdown template as a strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic is as good as playing the ostrich.
“Self-Isolation as another example in most of our houses in our towns and cities where tens of families stay in a house with only a toilet and tap, is neither possible nor practicable.
“The COVID-19 strategy sold to our president and his governors is alien to our circumstances, not practicable nor sustainable and should be urgently jettisoned.
“The consternation and disappointment of the PRP with President Buhari’s statement arises basically from three critical considerations.
“From his statement, the President appears not to understand and appreciate the futility and ineffectiveness of lockdown as a panacea to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in an economic and social environment such as ours,” he said.
