Nigerians Fault Distribution System For Fuel Subsidy Palliatives
A lawyer, Barrister Michael Ike has said the ongoing palliatives to cushion the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy by the administration of President Bola Tinubu will not be different from the ‘abused’ palliatives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to him, Covid-19 palliatives did not get to the real targets “because politicians hoarded them.”
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Ike told our correspondent in Awka on Wednesday that, “In as much as the palliatives are being shared through political party structures, the initiative has crumbled on arrival. The governors will give to local government chairmen, who will then use party ward chairmen to distribute the palliatives. How do you think the project will succeed? Already, I have read that the palliatives are being warehoused. So don’t expect anything more.”
Author Osmond Eze said the Tinubu administration is simply scratching the surface of the ailments.
He said, “I don’t know what has befallen Nigeria. How can sharing palliatives that will be looted be the solution to a problem the government is not willing to solve permanently? Why can’t Tinubu use the money being disbursed as palliatives to start a new refinery or begin the rehabilitation of at least one of the moribund four? The palliatives are for the rich only.”
A lecturer, Adanma Ohale, made a case for the use of traditional rulers in sharing the palliatives. According to her, “The best medium to share the palliatives are the traditional rulers. They know households in their domains. Most of them are apolitical. But using LGA chairmen to distribute them is a pointer that the initiative is a failure. Traditional rulers are revered, and should have been the best channels to reach out to the populace. But I see no reason for the palliatives because our problem remains the continued importation of petroleum products.”
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Ken Offorma, a journalist, said, “The government should think beyond palliatives. Palliatives can’t lift anybody out of poverty. We have had many of them, and we remain where we are. It has become the Nigerian factor. The initiative will look good, but the implementation is lacking.”
THE WHISTLER reports that the federal government disbursed N5bn as palliatives to each of the thirty-six states of the federation, and the Federal Capital Territory. It is meant to be given to genuine needy in society in the aftermath of the fuel subsidy removal.
