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Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
As anxiety continues to mount over the spread of the coronavirus, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has charged the government to set up free testing and treatment centers in the six geopolitical zones across the country.
The caucus in a statement by its leader, Kingsley Chinda, on Saturday, tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately address the country and reassure Nigerians the country’s state of preparedness to tackle the virus.
The opposition lawmakers accused President Buhari of displaying a “lackluster attitude” since the country recorded its first case of the virus.
According to them, “since the country reported its index case, the Buharı-led Federal Government has failed in its response to the virus, which has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“Neither has President Buharı thought it expedient to address the citizens of Nigeria, to assure them of government’s commitment to protect them in such a frightening situation Nor has he taken any firm and positive palliative step to cushion the effect of the pandemic on our vulnerable citizens.
”Calls by Nigerians and the Nigerian Senate for the leader of the nation to offer words of assurance and to lead the battle against Coronavirus from the front has been met with a rebufe and haughty words for the Senate by Presidency.
“İt is saddening to note that while governments of other countries have braced up to the challenges of the outbreak of the deadly virus, and provided their citizens palliative measures to cushion the effects of the shutdowns, Nigeria is yet to come up with any tangible plan for its citizens.
“The United States government has released $1Trillion Emergency stimulus to pay each citizen $1,000; the United Kingdom released £330 Billion Business Loan Package: Germany released $600 billion stimulus; Canada released C$20 Billion Economic Relief Package and stopped payment of rents and Italy released 26 billion and will pay rent, while the federal government of Nigeria only reduced the pump price of fuel by N20 only, less than 50 Cents.
“This intervention is cosmetic and cannot offer succour for the pending hardship the generality of Nigerians, especially the poor (about 85% of our population) are likely to suffer following the scary combination of the drastic fall in oil prices and the Coronavirus pandemic and it’s devastating consequences as recorded in advanced economies.
Consequently, the PDP lawmakers called on the government to step down the payment of Value Added Tax (VAT), as well as as “make reasonable reduction of pump price of fuel to a sum prorated to the reduction in crude oil price.”
Besides, they admonished the government yp disburse five billion naira as business loans to stimulate Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country, and ” make electricity available and free for citizens within the period.”
