Governor Udom Emmanuel has been urged to address Akwa Ibomites on how much he received from Federal Government as support for the fight against the novel Coronavirus in the state.
Governor Udom has been criticised for not refuting the statements credited to the Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello that the 36 governors in the country had received ₦1billion each from Federal Government and ₦1.1billion each from World Bank contrary to Governor Emmanuel’s earlier claim that he had not received any fund from the federal government for the fight against COVID-19 in the state.
Recall that Governor Emmanuel in in July 2020 told Akwa Ibom people that his administration has expended over N3 billion to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state, but that such feat was achieved without commensurate support from the Federal Government in spite of billions of cash donated by individuals, corporate bodies, local and international donor agencies.
The governor also said that his administration took care of the medical expenses and feeding of the Coronavirus patients without any form of support from federal government.
But Governor Yahaya Bello revealed that all 36 state governors have received ₦1billion each from federal government in support of the fight against the novel Coronavirus and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Bank to receive a sum of N1.1billion for the same purpose.
Recall that during one of Governor Emmanuel’s media interaction with the press community in the state, the governor was asked whether he has received any support from anywhere for the fight against COVID-19.
In response to the question, Governor Udom stated that he had only received 1800 bags of rice which are not fit for consumption until a laboratory test is carried out on them.
The Governor also said that he received ₦100million from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) but never mentioned anything about the alleged ₦1billion federal government support or the world bank ₦1.1billion.
Akwa Ibom people have asked the governor to come out and clear the air on the allegations by Governor Yahaya Bello.
Speaking with Morenews.ng, a respondent called on the governor whom he described as a “man of integrity” to speak on the matter to avoid speculations and bad feelings from the people.
“The governor has done a lot in terms of fight the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 disease in the state but this must be done transparently.”
Some other respondents also urged the governor to name all those who contributed to the fight against COVID-19 in the state, how much they give and how the donations were expended by the government.
“I think it is too early to say that the governor is lying or was telling a lie on the matter untill we hear from him,” he remarked.
They commended the governor for being proactive in the fight against COVID-19 since the out-break of the pandemic and since the first five cases were confirmed in the state.
