CACOVID Explains Delay In Palliatives’ Distribution, Urges Calm

• Blames large orders, production cycle

BY COBHAM NSA, ABUJA – Contrary to allegations of official hoarding and government’s insensitivity making the rounds in public domain, Private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) has blamed large size of materials’ order and production cycle for obvious delays in delivering its-sponsored palliatives expeditiously to the States.

The explanation is coming against the backdrop of massive looting of COVID-19 palliatives kept in various state government warehouses for onward distribution to poor families to cushion the effect of COVID-19 lockdown across the country.

CACOVID has therefore called for calm, expressing deep concerned by recent developments where certain individuals and suspected hoodlums hijacked the hitherto peaceful #EndSARS protests to loot and vandalise both public and private properties nationwide.

Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, Acting Director of Public Communications, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Osita Nwanisobi, said on Monday that the relief materials were meant for two million “most vulnerable families” in the 774 local government areas across the country.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Nwanisobi said that: “Over the past few months, the Private sector, through CACOVID, has been working with Governors, the FCT Minister, and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) to procure, deliver and distribute these food relief items to almost two million most vulnerable families (over 10 million Nigerians) across the 774 local government areas of the country, as part of the private sector’s support to the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Consequently, the statement pleaded with “those involved in the wanton destruction of public and private property to immediately desist from these raids, in order to allow the States to proceed with peaceful and fair distribution of these palliatives to the neediest and most vulnerable in our society”.

Addressing deep concerns over undue delays in distributing the food items and other palliatives, the statement said: “The sheer scale of this nationwide food programme and the timing of the orders and deliveries, which coincided with the lockdowns and reduced movement across the country, compelled CACOVID to roll out distribution in a staggered manner. with States classified in three timed phases, to enable orderly delivery to the needy.”

“The very large size of the order, and the production cycle required to meet the demand caused delays in delivering the food items to the states in an expeditious manner; hence, the resultant delay in delivery of the food palliatives by the state governors”, the statement added.

In lamenting that some intended beneficiaries will certainly not get the relief items due to unrestrained looting by hoodlums, CACOVID said; “By these looting incidents, it, therefore, means that some intended beneficiaries have been deprived the opportunity of benefitting from CACOVID’s good intentions.”

“At the time CACOVID embarked on the palliatives efforts in April 2020, we decided to procure the food directly from the manufacturers, to avoid a distortion of prices in the market. The food package was designed such that each of the nearly 2 million vulnerable families received: a 10kg bag of rice, a 5kg bag of garri/maize flour/semolina, one carton of pasta, two cartons of noodles, 5kg of sugar and 1kg of salt.”

The statement further explained that “not every warehouse in Nigeria that contains palliatives is affiliated to the CACOVID donation, given that the states themselves, the Federal Government and other organisations have also made donations”.

CACOVID said; “It is very unfortunate that various States, including States that have concluded the distribution of their allocations, are seeing their warehouses and other premises being raided. It must also be noted that not every warehouse in Nigeria that contains palliatives is affliated with the CACOVID donation, given that the States themselves, the Federal Government and other organisations have also made donations.”

“In light of these unsavoury developments, we would like to appeal for calm, and for States to be allowed to proceed with their palliatives distribution peacefully, even as each State will undoubtedly keep its citizens abreast of the distribution process to ensure transparency, accountability, and equity. We urge all to be law-abiding, to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, and to end the raiding of these warehouses”, the Coalition pleaded.

The statement said given the earlier promise of transparency and accountability, the external auditors, KPMG Professional Services, are at the verge of completing the audit of all contributions from our donors; as well as a listing of all medical and food items procured with these funds.

“We will be sharing the external audit reports of our spending, alongside full report of CACOVID activities, including delivery and planned flag-off dates of our donations to Nigerians”, the Coalition assured.