The Federal Government of Nigeria began the disbursement of N20,000 to the poorest people in Nigeria.
The aim is to ensure that the Sit At Home Order doesn’t affect the poor so much. The disbursement which started yesterday in Kwali Abuja saw some poor Nigerians get the amount as promised by President Buhari.
Since then, many Nigerians have asked why it started in Abuja, North Central. Others are asking for their own share of the money through bank transfer. But the truth is that the Federal Government cannot pay every Nigeria N20,000 at this time.
Why? The country’s economy is in a really bad shape before now. Coupled with the situation we found ourselves in this Coronavirus Pandemic.
I saw the Twitter thread where the Ministry of Budget, Finance, and National Planning begged American Billionaire Elon Musk for 100 to 500 FDA Ventilators to fight Coronavirus.
This is to tell you how bad it is. Let me also draw your attention to the fact the oil which is the main stay of the economy is in a mess. The price as it is today in the global market is $27 per barrel.
I know you will ask of the donations made by some cooperate organisations and individuals. The total amount is about 57 billion naira which is not enough to purchase the highly needed medical materials to fight Coronavirus. Each ventilator cost about $17,000.
The federal government will need about N770 billion to pay 38.5 million Nigerians with BVN linked bank accounts N20, 000 each.
I wonder where it will get this money at this time, when the world economy is almost shut down. That’s why the Federal Government has focused its attention on the poorest people in Nigeria who are mainly in the Northern Nigeria.
Everybody knows that the North has alot of poor people due to Insurgency, Poor Education and Almajiri. That’s why they will benefit more in this situation. But this is not to say that Nigerians from the South don’t deserve palliative measures.
The federal government should also try hard to provide support to other Nigerians because these are hard times. No amount is too small to receive as an alert from government.
About The Author
