The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has directed its members across the country to intensify their efforts in providing assistance to vulnerable Nigerians in their neighborhood to further mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown directives.
The PDP also asked the federal government to bring in the hands used in winning the battle against the Ebola virus disease as well as commission indigenous manufacturers, especially auto and equipment producers, to concert effort towards production of ventilators and other equipment needed in the fight against the pandemic.
The PDP in a statement on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan also called on more Nigerians to join public-spirited individuals and groups in extending assistance to vulnerable citizens in the overall effort to contain and check the spread of the pandemic in the country.
The PDP said its call is against the backdrop of the failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration “to shelve its greed and corruption and make adequate provisions for social palliatives and other panaceas to Nigerians, despite the immense resources at its disposal.”
Stating that its position is also in line with its manifesto and guiding principles to ensure the security, wellbeing and happiness of all citizens, irrespective of creed, ethnicity and political persuasion, the PDP called on all Nigerians to look beyond primordial considerations and join forces to defeat the virus.
“The party therefore urges Nigerians to use this time to further display their spirit of brotherly care by assisting vulnerable persons around them particularly the aged, the unemployed as well as individuals and families whose means of livelihood had been crippled for the restriction directives.
“Furthermore, the PDP laments as worrisome, that at a time as this, the APC and its government would remain lethargic and allow sheer incompetence, greed, avarice and primitive corruption to continue to constrict it into unnecessary parochialism in the handling of effort against the spread of COVID-19 in our country.
“Our party also bemoans the lack of accountability and the manifest sleaze in the disbursement of financial palliatives with allegations of diversion of billion of naira to private purses to the detriment of poor Nigerians. Indeed, such is not the way to go,” the PDP said.
“The party therefore urged the Federal Government to be transparent and involve more capable Nigerian medical experts, researchers as well as equipment manufacturers to assist in checking the spread of the pandemic in our country,” the party said.
