A stakeholder in the Nigerian project, Reno Omokri, has berated President Muhammadu Buhari over the broadcast on Sunday on the ravaging coronavirus infection that has brought Nigeria, like other countries of the world, to a halt. He chided the president for making a broadcast that provides no relief or palliatives for Nigerian citizens while directing Nigerians to sit at home for two weeks.
Omokri maintained that ‘General’ Buhari did not say anything new, noting that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala already told people to wash hands regularly and maintain social distance. He said that people wanted to hear what the president planned to do to alleviate the hardship the coronavirus brought. “Nothing like that. Instead, he was praising himself. A robot would have done better,” Omokri decried.
he said that General Buhari said he had introduced fiscal measures, noting: “That is a lie. He has done little or nothing for individuals and businesses. No economic package for citizens forced to stay at home, even while NASS members share exotic cars.”
Omokri pointed out that General Buhari boasted about providing ₦15 billion intervention, stating that the N15 bullion intervention fund is only $37 million for a population of 200 million people. He noted that India released $27 billion for food alone. He added that the N15 billion intervention is less than the ₦150 billion he budgeted for Nigerian National Assembly.
“How can the FG compete with the private sector in amount provided as relief? You collect taxes, oil rents and Abacha loot and all you give is ₦15 billion. “The private sector gave more. Why do we pay you tax? Why do we have a government,” Omokri protested.
He decried: “General Buhari ordered a lockdown of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun. These areas have already been on lockdown for a week. Does it mean Buhari did not know? How can you ask people to stay in lockdown without providing adequate reliefs to them.”
He also ridiculed the president fir assuring the sustenance of the school feeding program while schools have been closed across the states by governors. He questioned if the school children will the eating the school meals at home.
“General Buhari said the school feeding program should go on. Has he been living in a cave? The states have been complaining that the school feeding program had been abandoned. The man is not even aware. Students will stay at home and eat at school,” Omokri noted.
He said that Nigeria has a strategic food supply established by previous administrations. He advocated: “If General Buhari had compassion, he should have ordered that the grains be released to the people. “After all, during Ramadan, Government shares food. Why not now?
Omokri, therefore, declared that in summary, “General Buhari’s #CoronaVirus broadcast was just hot air! He did not redirect the $37 billion budgeted to renovate the NASS or the N150 billion budgeted for less the 469 members of the House of Reps and Senate towards providing relief for Nigerians.
“You can imagine the cheek of General Buhari talking about their useless #Tradermoni at this time? What is the relevance of tradermoni and NPOWER to #CoronaVirus if you are not mobilising them as auxiliary health workers.”