For the past few days, we have witnessed incidents of angry youths and hoodlums breaking into various warehouses across the country to help themselves with stored COVID-19 palliatives meant to be shared during the lockdown. Even though State Governments have denied hoarding the palliatives, many have described the purported act as unpatriotic, inhuman and reprehensible. LADY BARBARA NEGBEJIE asks further, What do you think? Enjoy the views.
‘It goes to show how greedy and selfish they are’
The hoarding of palliative is indicative of the importance that people in government attached to the lives of the citizenry. It goes to show how greedy and selfish they are. They are keeping the palliatives in the warehouses so they can share it among themselves. This is palliative that they did not buy. Palliatives that were donated by corporate organizations; they are still hoarding it to share among themselves. It is most unfortunate.
• Mr. Fabian Anawao
‘This is inhumanity to man’
It is rather very unfortunate that it took the youths of #EndSARS protest to reveal all the hidden warehouses where palliatives were stored. In the first place, COVID-19 came to the open around February and March, 2020.There was lockdown. People have been suffering, eating from hand to mouth we are now in October and the palliatives for the poor masses were still locked up in various warehouses all over Nigeria. What a shame! Honestly, I do not share in the opinion that hoodlums are cartering away the palliatives, No!!! They are hungry. A hungry man is an angry man. Does the government have any plan at all to share these palliatives? When? If I may ask. This is inhumanity to man. The whole scenario shows how hungry we are in this country and how the government of Nigeria is treating the masses that voted them into power. It also shows the lack of love of God in the governance. In fact this protest is very, very, good. At this point the activities of these past days have reawakened the fact that we can no longer be taken for granted and it shows that our leaders have no shame there is nothing that can’t be looted
. • Noble Lady Okwui Sidney-Moka
‘The alleged hoarding of palliatives is very unfortunate, callous, insensitive, covetous’
The alleged hoarding of palliatives by government officials and parliamentarians, is very unfortunate, callous, insensitive, covetous and what have you. The palliatives were meant to cushion the harsh effects of COVID-19, on those at the lower rung of the economic ladder. It is very disheartening that palliatives meant for the citizens, majority who are poor and many who are unemployed, for their upkeep until things improved and the new normal stabilizes, were hoarded in various different Warehouses across the States in the country instead of being timely distributed to the masses and as at when needed the most. This shows how the government across all strata in Nigeria treats their citizens with levity and nonchalance. No wonder the various breaking of Warehouses and looting of the palliatives at the various States all over the country. Who will blame the looters? And in circumstances like that, it might be morally reprehensible to condemn such looters being driven by abject poverty and hunger. The various reasons being given by the government officials and parliamentarians for the hoarding of the palliatives that were to be distributed to the citizens in December, are just afterthought and smokescreen to cover their shame after such reprehensible acts have been discovered by the masses. What they are doing which is an afterthought is just damage control to save their political careers. At this juncture, it is worth reiterating, that elected officials, appointed officials or nominated officials, hold their various offices for the pleasure and for the service of the people. Nigeria still has a long way to go. I pray we begin to get things right in this God resources blessed country. God let it be well with Nigeria.
• Barr. Chukwuemeka Onyeokoro
“Our leaders are not in tune with the realities; they are oblivious of the sufferings of the people”
The palliatives were meant for the people and the people have gotten them though through the back door which to me doesn’t change the fact that they got what rightly belongs to them in the first place. The action of our brothers and sisters breaking into store houses only portrays the level of hunger and poverty in the land and makes true the saying “a hungry man is an angry man”. The reasons given by some Governors for hoarding the palliatives across the states only go to show that our leaders are not in tune with the realities; they are oblivious of the sufferings of the people they claim to lead. None of these leaders hustles for bread neither does any of them know about the rising cost of living in Nigeria that is why someone will keep what belongs to the generality of Nigerians in a storehouse waiting for his birthday as if his life belongs to him. He has no notion that God can demand his life before his birthday. Some are waiting for the second phase of a spike of COVID-19 when they have not adequately managed the first phase. These are the ones praying that the virus should never go; working against the prayers and efforts of the children of God especially the Catholic Church for an end to the Coronavirus pandemic. What worries me however is the level to which some of the looters went: stealing from their fellow citizens(ordinary citizens) and the wanton destruction. Even hospitals and patients were not spared. My fear is that it is not yet over; we must take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again. There should be a lot of reorientation and probably reintegration of the average Nigerian if we must win the war of ridding our country of the monster called bad leadership that has taken hunger and poverty to the highest level in a country blessed by God. Government has failed to achieve this. It therefore leaves the responsibility to the Church of God and individuals. My message to my brothers and sisters out there is this: to make Nigeria great is in our hands, it is our collective responsibility, change begins with you and I. Considering the great achievements of our youths during the #EndSARS protest and the lessons, there is nothing we cannot achieve if there’s a will and we work in unity. Nigerians are strong people and I know God is on our side.
• Lady Gloria Odok
