COVID-19: Controversy, Allegations of Fraud Trail Edo state Government Production of Face Masks
COVID-19: Controversy, Allegations of Fraud Trail Edo state Government Production of Face Masks
The Edo state government has lurched from one crisis to another in its disorganized attempt to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the state following the disappearance of Governor Godwin Obaseki and the displayed ineptitude of his Deputy, Philip Shaibu.
The latest controversy stems from its planned local mass-production of one million face masks for the people of the state.
The governor, according to information from government sources, has earmarked 220 naira as the single production cost of the masks, a figure that has been disputed by economic experts and other residents of the state who suspect that it may have been inflated by Obaseki who has faced repeated allegations from CSOs in the state of politicizing the state’s response to COVID19 and using the public health crisis as a front to further divert state funds.
The 220 naira unit cost is only a few naira shy of the 300 naira billed for the imported face masks which has factored in costs of shipping and distribution. Considering that the local production allows the state government to avoid costs of shipping, many are furious that the earmarked cost is not significantly lower than what is proposed and have expressed concern that the exercise has been transformed into yet another elaborate scheme by the governor to drain the treasury and divert funds to other endeavors.
Similarly, the state’s chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, in continuation of its criticism of the Obaseki-administration’s concealment of information and general dishonesty, has raised issues of standard and quality because the government, perhaps in a bid to cover-up the alleged fraud, has refused to let in professionals supervise the production of the face masks and ensure that the production is carried out in line with global standards and offers promised protection to the people.
From the onset, the government’s scampering to mass-produce face masks after announcing and enforcing a law that orders people to remain in their homes and never step out unless they have a face mask on had set it against the masses who complain of its insensitivity and anti-people measures.
Godwin Obaseki had gone further to setup mobile courts to fill already congested prisons with Edo people over lack of face masks when realistically, the item is too costly for most and not readily available in the market.
Last week, in an indicting letter to the governor, the Nigerian Medical Association lamented a lack of face masks and other personal protective equipment for health workers in the state.
Warnings for the governor to make available the face masks before implementing the order went unheeded even as he left it late before attempting to distribute food items to the people following restrictions that shut down several sectors of the economy and left thousands without income.
Godwin Obaseki, desperate to hide his own incompetence and without the empathy necessary to handle the unique challenge COVID19 poses to the society, is now burdening the people with responsibilities of the government and issuing menacing threats to a public with worst fears for their lives and survival.
The latest controversy stems from its planned local mass-production of one million face masks for the people of the state.
The governor, according to information from government sources, has earmarked 220 naira as the single production cost of the masks, a figure that has been disputed by economic experts and other residents of the state who suspect that it may have been inflated by Obaseki who has faced repeated allegations from CSOs in the state of politicizing the state’s response to COVID19 and using the public health crisis as a front to further divert state funds.
The 220 naira unit cost is only a few naira shy of the 300 naira billed for the imported face masks which has factored in costs of shipping and distribution. Considering that the local production allows the state government to avoid costs of shipping, many are furious that the earmarked cost is not significantly lower than what is proposed and have expressed concern that the exercise has been transformed into yet another elaborate scheme by the governor to drain the treasury and divert funds to other endeavors.
Similarly, the state’s chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, in continuation of its criticism of the Obaseki-administration’s concealment of information and general dishonesty, has raised issues of standard and quality because the government, perhaps in a bid to cover-up the alleged fraud, has refused to let in professionals supervise the production of the face masks and ensure that the production is carried out in line with global standards and offers promised protection to the people.
From the onset, the government’s scampering to mass-produce face masks after announcing and enforcing a law that orders people to remain in their homes and never step out unless they have a face mask on had set it against the masses who complain of its insensitivity and anti-people measures.
Godwin Obaseki had gone further to setup mobile courts to fill already congested prisons with Edo people over lack of face masks when realistically, the item is too costly for most and not readily available in the market.
Last week, in an indicting letter to the governor, the Nigerian Medical Association lamented a lack of face masks and other personal protective equipment for health workers in the state.
Warnings for the governor to make available the face masks before implementing the order went unheeded even as he left it late before attempting to distribute food items to the people following restrictions that shut down several sectors of the economy and left thousands without income.
Godwin Obaseki, desperate to hide his own incompetence and without the empathy necessary to handle the unique challenge COVID19 poses to the society, is now burdening the people with responsibilities of the government and issuing menacing threats to a public with worst fears for their lives and survival.
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