We discovered lapses in distribution of FG’s COVID-19 palliatives, says senate panel

Yusuf Yusuf, senate committee chairman on special duties, says his committee is probing the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives being disbursed under the social investment programmes (SIPs), particularly the conditional cash transfer (CCT).

Speaking with journalists on Monday, Yusuf, senator representing Taraba central, said they have discovered “lapses” which need to be corrected.

President Muhammadu Buhari had announced that the recipients of the CCT would be increased by a million households.

This increases the recipients on the national social register to 3.6 million households from 2.6 million. Despite the intervention, the federal government has been accused of not doing enough to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on citizens.

The senator said the errors in the social register would have to be corrected “as time goes on”.

He said there is not enough resources to integrate more households into the scheme.

“The register was as a result of the World Bank indicating that they can use citizens of the various communities. I have done my own investigation too and we are still doing it,” he said.

“There are certain lapses, a lot of lapses which we need to correct as time goes on. Like I said, the COVID-19 has brought us into a new reality altogether, it is like a war. When you are at war front, you have to look out to handle it.

“A lot of discussion is going on to make sure more of the households are integrated but you know resources is limited, very very limited so there is no way the government can meet the palliatives of each and every household in this country. But are talking about the vulnerable households.

“You know to get data is not an easy thing and especially in this lockdown period, you have a lot encumbrances so I think we are trying to do the best we can especially in the national assembly to make sure we get the register and scrutinise it to make sure they are eligible to benefit, not people cornering resources in one way or the other.”

When asked if the senate panel would stop the disbursement of the palliatives pending its investigation, Yusuf said: “I will not say hold on, because we are in the war front.

“So as you go along, you update, you moderate, you reform and go ahead with it.”

In April, Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, faulted the manner in which SIPs were implemented during the lockdown.