…says claims are charades
…urges PTF to comeout clean
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, may have stoke another controversy over the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
Bello on Wednesday warned the Federal Government against investing about $1.5 billìon on Covid-19 vaccines.
Bello maintained that there is no covid-19 in the country and the Federal Government should not fall for the ongoing charades about covid-19 vaccine procurement.
He also doubted the sincerity of the report the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on Covid-19, provided to the President. He therefore urge the taskforce to come out clean about the virus in Nigeria.
The governor said what should be of priority to the country should be how to revive the economy.
Bello also lamented the unjustified spendings on Covid-19 and its related matters that amounted to N3.5 trillion naira on wednesday during an interview on Channels Television breakfast show, Sunrise Daily.
“All these brouhaha coming up about Covid-19 and vaccines, I don’t think we deserve it now. We have a struggling economy that Mr President inherited, recession, low income, left, right, and centre and Mr President is doing his best to pull out of the woods,” he said.
Bello said if all health institutions in the country are well equipped in terms of medical and services delivery with the unnecessary spendings used thus far on Covid-19, no deadly disease that cannot be cured when it arises.
“In Kogi today, we are building a multi million naira hospital but it is going to have all the equipment in terms of medical and services delivery worth 4.7 billion.
“If we are going to spend 10 million naira per health Institution for more deadly disease not just Covid-19 that has 99.9% chances of recovery rate; putting the Nigeria factor and taxes, we are going to have 54 of such. Every state will have one each and States like Abuja, Lagos, Kano etc can have more than that.”
Comparing the unjustified monies spent on Covid-19, Bello stated that during one of the sections in the National Executive Meetings, a meeting regarding infrastructure was drawn and a committee was set up under the leadership of the Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
The committee according to him “came up with just a report that in summary requires only two billion naira to fix major, commercially, viable roads in the country.
“That support has been gathering dust over one year yet we have expended N3.5 trillion on Covid-19 and Covid-19 related matters that are unprecedented. How did we spend that money?
Bello also urged the Presidential Task Force not to force Nigerians take vaccines that even the producers are not willing to take responsibilities when any harm arises after consumption.
“If we are now gravitating towards locking down our people and a situation where civil servants and Nigerians will be forced to take vaccines that the producers are not willing to take responsibilities if these products harm you, yet we are rushing to get these products with force on people.
“I don’t think the Presidential Task Force should go that route. That is my opinion. They should do better,” he said.
He further criticised the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 for importing foreign measures to manage the pandemic in the country. “You can’t do cut and paste on issues like this,” the governor stated.
“Those of us charged with the responsibility of advising Mr President should do that with utmost fear of God Almighty.”
