The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed worry over the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme, SIP, saying it is not getting to poor Nigerians.
Afenifere noted that be expanding the current social register from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million in the next two weeks, as the President promised, was not unacceptable in a country of 80 million poor.
Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, stated these in reacting to the President’s decision to extend the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and FCT for another 14 days.
He said: “We understand why it is necessary to extend the lockdown and took note of President Buhari’s appreciation of the sacrifices of the past two weeks.
“But we have our worry about the continuation of the so-called palliatives of the past 14 days.
“We doubt if this is reaching the people. And it is a fact that you can’t get palliatives to the people from Abuja.
“The idea of promising to reach 3.6 million households in a country with over 80 million people living in extreme poverty is a far cry.
“How much of the economy can we build in the midst of Coronavirus that we didn’t build in time we didn’t have a pandemic remains to be seen.
“The President is also enjoined to take note of the upheavals and security challenges in the locked down areas.”
