LAYI OLANREWAJU,Ilorin
Kwara Government has rubbished claim that it diverted or hoarded palliatives meant for vulnerable households in the state.
No less than 15 of the 16 local governments had benefited before the store was looted, the private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 Foundation said, yesterday.
The palliatives, which were majorly foodstuffs, were donated across the country including Kwara State by the CACOVID Foundation as part of its support for the Nigerian governments to cushion the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq flagged off the official distribution of the palliatives on August 11, 2020 following the handover of the goods by the private sector-led body.
Speaking on a live programme on Midland FM in Ilorin, CACOVID representative in Kwara State Taoheed Adewale Fasasi said: “In terms of distribution of the palliatives, it’s been an excellent performance for Kwara State especially in terms of three key things. One, identification of the beneficiaries. We’ve always feared that this could be where there will be problem because we don’t want it to get to the wrong hands. But they (state government) have been able to come up with lists that come directly from the grassroots. And, with this, we know how many families that were given. We have recordings of how many families that were given.
“We were in Jebba (Moro, Kwara North), for instance, and it was not just about distribution, we saw the families. We know where they are and what they do and things like that. The distribution was not hidden. It was more or less like CACOVID handing over to the beneficiaries. The assistance from the (state) committee has been wonderful.”
