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Chukwudi Nweje
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State, has asked the State House of Assembly and the relevant anti-corruption to investigate the claim by the state government that it spends on the average N100, 000 to N1million daily to treat each COVID-19 patients in the state.
Commissioner for Health in the state, Prof. Akin Abayomi, during a briefing on Thursday said that while N100,000 is spent daily on patients whose cases are mild-to-moderate, severe case could gulp up to N1million naira to maintain on a daily basis.
However, the PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, yesterday described the claim as not only embarrassing, but humungous, unreliable and extortionately induced.
The party asked the state assembly and relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate the claim as such figures are capable of increasing the already created doubts that the state government is not honest about the facts of the pandemic and has commercialised the circumstance.
“The PDP opines that the incredible figures reeled out as cost of treating a COVID- 19 patient is capable of increasing the already created doubts that the state government is not honest about the facts of the pandemic and has commercialised the circumstance. The PDP thus calls on the Lagos House of Assembly to activate a committee of the whole house to look into the accounts relating to the COVID- 19 and indeed similar supposed emergency reliefs, Trust funds, interventions etc. It similarly calls on relevant anti corruption Agencies to question the state commissioner for health.
“We are aware that individuals and companies and other donors have contributed largely into the Trust purse for COVID- 19, these monies are not with any clear records, the declaration by the Lagos State Government that it has been spending well about N1millon per Day on each COVID- patient is no doubt a ground preparation to mismanage, embezzle the funds. The House of Assembly must show independence now and probe the claims. This is important to disabuse the peoples mind that the LASG is making money into private purses out of the pandemic. Especially as even an All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has alleged such against some states”, Gani said.
