- Wants Trustees to manage donations
BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – Former Minister of Youths and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has cautioned the Federal Government against squandering donations and goodwill by Nigerians to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
He described current humanitarian gestures as evidence of patriotism and love for the country by Nigerians, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari must consolidate on the situation to strengthen Nigeria’s unity and overall development values.
“We cannot afford to squander this golden opportunity to consolidate on our national unity. Coronavirus doesn’t discriminate neither does it respect anybody. But Nigerians are united in their donations to fight it. We must all key into this kind gesture of our patriots by uniting to fight common enemy”, he said.
According to him, in the present circumstance, it is important the Federal Government sets up Committee of Trustees to manage donated funds, stressing that members must be Nigerians of impeccable character and integrity, carefully chosen from all social strata to reflect wide shades of opinions.
Barrister Dalung also urged the President to resist the temptation of recycling faces and names that do not inspire confidence in Nigerians, adding that the Trustees must be men and women with transparent leadership credentials and career records.
“They must be accountable for all donations by giving regular updates on donors and how the funds are utilized”, he said.
The immediate past Sports Minister said like Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, President Buhari should readily mobilise Nigerians to invest financially and materially in the war against Coronavirus preparatory for the post-pandemic economic situations.
He further advised that the COVID-19 Trust Fund should, among other things, be deployed to equip at least one Federal Teaching Hospital in each of the six (6) geo-political zones with not less than 1000 beds space capacity.
Dalung said in addition to ensuring there are adequate manpower on ground, the Federal Government should, as a matter of utmost importance, also consider providing about 1000 ventilators and respirators that are state of the art in standard at these Teaching Hospitals for effective healthcare service delivery.
