The House of Representatives has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to make cash grants to the 774 local government areas in the country to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila stated this while announcing that the 360 federal lawmakers have resolved to donate their 2 months salary to the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
Gbajabiamila said the donation will be independent of the contributions by individual lawmakers to alleviate the hardship that their constituents face at this time of national emergency.
Starting from March salary, the lawmakers’ donation will be transferred directly to the National Relief Fund account for the fight against Coronavirus.
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In a video message to Nigerians as part of the response to the pandemic, Gbajabiamila said: “We have in the House of Representatives jointly committed to contributing 100 per cent of our salaries for the next 2 months to the fight against Coronavirus in Nigeria.
He said the House would exercise its oversight power to ensure faithful administration of all emergency funds and contributions made so far to ensure they serve the purpose for which they were intended.
Thus, the House has already mandated the Committees on Health and Disaster Preparedness to diligently oversee the distribution of items donated by local and foreign donors to ensure proper management, he said.
The Speaker implored Nigerians to adhere strictly to the guidelines given by relevant authorities to prevent further spread of the disease, saying Nigeria could not afford to have a large scale outbreak of the disease.
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He said: “We are at war and our mission is first to survive, and then to overcome. These objectives require that we act in unison and remain laser-focused on the challenge at hand. I ask all of you to continue to take care of yourselves. Follow the guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC. Do not disseminate information of uncertain provenance.
The Speaker applauded the sacrifices made by all the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals “who give their best through long hours in the laboratory, in hospitals and emergency care units providing comfort and treatment to mend the sick and heal our country”.
While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government to manage the outbreak and alleviate its adverse economic and social impact on Nigerians, Gbajabiamila said the House would in every way it could “continue to support these efforts to ensure that our people make it through this difficult time with dignity and peace of mind.”
Gbajabiamila also expressed profound appreciation “to all the individuals and organisations who have stepped up to support Federal and State Governments’ efforts to manage the present crisis.”
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
