COVID-19 Lockdown: Kwara Governor To Give Soft Loans To ‘Okada’ Riders, Tricyclists, Cab Drivers

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Governor of Kwara state, on Wednesday, announced that his administration would soon begin the payment of soft loans to motorcyclists popularly known a ‘Okada riders, tricyclists as well as cab divers whose daily means of survival have been greatly affected by the lockdown of the state to curb the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The governor who disclosed this in his verified twitter handle, said that the decision is to ameliorate the plight of those category of citizens as well as flatten the curve of community transmission of the disease.

He said that loans initiative which is part of the Kwara State Social Investment Programmes, (KWASSIP.), would be repaid by the beneficiaries after the COVID-19 crisis is over.

The governor wrote: “Soon soft loans will be given out to transport workers like motorcycle, tricycle and cab drivers who have been seriously affected by the shutdown to flatten the curve of transmission of COVID-19.

“The loans will be repaid in trickles after the COVID crisis is over. This initiative is part of the Kwara State Social Investment Programmes, KWASSIP”, he tweeted.

BIGPEN recalls that Governor Abdulrazaq, had on Thursday, April 9, announced a total lockdown on the state in a renewed effort to contain the spread of Corona Virus (COVID-19), exactly 48 hours after it took a similar step in Offa local government.

So far, Kwara state has four confirmed cases of coronavirus.