COVID-19: Govs Beg Buhari For Debts Reliefs, ‘Palliatives’

Worried by the plight of citizens in their respective states following the coronavirus pandemic which is taking its toll on the nation’s economy, Governors under the auspices of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to release ‘palliatives’ to them to solve the ‘hunger-vid’ crisis confronting their respective states.

BIGPEN reports that President Buhari, in his recent broadcast to the nation did not explicitly captured how the Federal Government would intervene to rescue the states from the hunger crisis that would assail them from the tough measures being put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Chairman of the Governor’s forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who spoke after he met with President Buhari, on Tuesday via a first time teleconference since the broadcast, said that States are going through rough times over the COVID-19 crisis.

Fayemi, according to a statement by NGF Head of Media and Public Affairs Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, appealed to President Buhari to take certain decisive decisions to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians by releasing palliative to the states and granting debt reliefs in lieu of the drop in the federal allocation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He urged the President to instruct the relevant authorities to use the machineries of the state governments so that the palliatives would penetrate all nooks and crannies of the country.

He said that that “Palliatives” would be even more meaningful if they were distributed through the State Governors.

“I know your penchant for caring for the poor and the downtrodden in the country, Mr President, and I am telling you that allocations from FAAC have dropped significantly so if you turn your magnanimity towards governors and their States into looking at other debts that continue to linger in the system and prioritise their payments, poor people will be the happier,” the Ekiti State Governor emphasized.

Fayemi thanked the president for the approval of the release of $150million to augment projected FAAC shortfall in June but added that more needed to be done to keep the states properly afloat.

The NGF Chairman alluded to the revenues from the Liquified Natural Gas, LNG, which, he said could help in assuaging some issues related to revenue shortfalls.

He reiterated the need for the suspension of all deductions by the federal government so that states can address the COVID-19 challenges from a position of economic strength.

Dr Fayemi stressed the need to streamline all multi-lateral and bilateral interventions and funding so that states could also be integrated and considered because of the difficulties that they are going through.

He commended the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 which he said is doing a great job because the challenges that the Corona Virus has thrown at them was huge but added on a lighter mood, “Hunger-vid is equally as lethal”.

According to him, because it puts governors at the receiving end of the hardships, all governors would be happier if their requests were met.

Governor Fayemi assured Mr. President that if established FGN debts to States like the outstanding PAYE are defrayed, the poor and vulnerable in the country and the citizens would be better taken care of.

The NGF Chairman also told the president that all the 36 States’ governments were currently reviewing their budgets downwards to conform with the prevailing realities.

He urged the President to also encourage the evolution of a national strategic plan that would encompass the subnational level so that the country will find a fast and easy way out of the woods.

Dr Fayemi expressed concern that the informal sector workers had neither been captured in the World Bank-assisted scheme, the National Social Register and nor included in the conditional cash transfer.

He said that those people’s plight needed to be quickly addressed “before our situation crumbles into the “Ecuadorian Alternative“ where the poor and vulnerable people of Ecuador flocked into the streets in violation of the stay at home order in their country”.

The NGF Chairman also told the president that though the targeted testing strategy adopted by the country has done a lot, however, there was need for more testing

He said that Governors were desirous of having some more testing facilities so as to deepen the gains already made by the NCDC.

Governor Fayemi stated that the Forum members align themselves with the efforts of the Federal Government and called for synergy in governance.

Governor Fayemi commended Mr. President for the manner in which he has always rescued the States and recalled how presidential approvals for bailouts, budget support facility, London Paris Club refund, had helped the governors in administration of their states.

Responding, President Buhari asked Governor Fayemi to formalise all the requests of the Governors and forward them to him so that he would promptly address them.