The representative of Ukwa East and Ukwa West Federal Constituency, Abia State, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, said that funds earmarked for COVID-19 related matters are being misappropriated.
Nkem-Abonta stated this on the Sunrise Daily programme on Channels TV.
He said that the disbursement of the N83.9 billion channeled into financing COVID-19 efforts in the 2020 Appropriation Act should be probed.
He added that the emergence of the pandemic brought business opportunities for elites that the “ordinary man couldn’t understand”.
He said, “In Nigeria, Covid came to become a huge business,” he said. “It became something that the ordinary man couldn’t understand. It became something that the ordinary man felt exploited.
“From the beginning of the Covid till now, we only hear billions of naira and we can’t say exactly how this funds went. At a point, we were told that States must declare Covid to get some billions. Kogi is an example. So if 80 point something billion cannot be accounted for, then Reps must, in their usual manner, enquire into it.
“I pray that at the end of the enquiry, the results and findings should be made public.”
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“I am aware that there is a lot of funny things happening around the Covid funds and the operator of Covid funds. I am aware that people became billionaires out of Covid proceeds, out of Covid transactions. You saw what happened during the palliatives scandal and scramble. So it’s a whole chain going on and I pray that control should be put to it.
“We should not use Covid funds at the expense of those who should get the (relief). If you go out there, most people will tell you we don’t believe in Covid because it’s business, because they are also seeing Covid-related funds being used in a manner to benefit very few and not treat the virus.
“If we continue this way, then Covid may not leave us at all. Because people distrust the operators meant to stop Covid, people don’t have belief in them, because of the way the funds are being used.”
Nigeria, COVID Funds, Misappropriation
Towards the end of the previous year, warehouses were raided in various cities, as stockpiles of food materials meant to be distributed were ransacked and taken by residents. COVID funds and relief materials were not reaching the audience it was intended for.
In Abuja, among several other cities, items like bags of rice, sugar, and other items were looted after news spread that some authorities were hoarding the items meant for the masses.
The allegation was denied by respective authorities.
According to BBC, some governors had said that the items were held in anticipation of the second wave of the pandemic.
Although, many Nigerians had not received their palliatives from the government in the pandemic debut.
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Some of the palliatives were traced to the homes of politicians, with one stating that the items were scheduled to be shared on his birthday.
Relief Funds Borrowed
Prior to seeking assistance from the International Monetary Funds (IMF) in the sum of $3.4 billion, Transparency International (TI) had urged the Nigerian Government to not receive the loans and go on with “business as usual”.
It stated that unlike other loans received by the West African country and lost to corruption, the international community must step in to ensure that the funds are disbursed accordingly.
