“We depend on our Children who live abroad to Survive and Sustain ourselves before the advent of COVID-19 restrictions”, say the Onojie of Ewu Kingdom, in Esan Central Local Government Areas, HRH, Abudu Rasak Ojiefo Isesele the III.
Mixed reactions have continued to trail the statement of the Onojie of Ewu Kingdom For bearing his mind on how his subordinates had depended on foreign largesse to sustain themselves.
The Monarch who spoke While receiving the Emergency Food Relief items from Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Foundation in his Palace lamented the ugly trends of COVID-19 restrictions across Country-wide borders.
You May Also Like
He said, those illustrious sons and daughters of Ewu extraction who could have rescued them are all observing the lockdown order and can not go to work where they get most monies to send home.
This, he claimed, has stirred temporary hardships among his subordinates, who now depend on nothing to cater for their families and up the ante in extension, the general wellbeing of the people.
Onojie maintained that, with the ravaging Novel Coronavirus pandemic worldwide, more people especially, from poor homes and localities would suffer more, if, nothing is done to cushion the effects.
While calling on Spirited individuals and Corporate entities to follow the footages of the Founder of the Foundation, he hailed Pastor Chris for coming to relief over two thousand Households in his locality; adding,” the intervention was timely considering the untoward effects occasioned by the ravaging Novel Coronavirus pandemic”.
Despite the Monarch’s honest assessment of shortages in food items support from citizens living in the diaspora, many see the statement to be encouraging illegal human trafficking, who may perhaps, resort to travelling abroad for Greener Pastures not minding the aftermath of their actions.
Some Persons who preferred to be Anonymous had their reservations.
While others pointed out that the statement may encourage people to embark on illegal Migration considering the nature of it.
According to Undisclosed Source, ” the Onojie should have been Conservative with such statement because it can ignite a negative thought out actions. He may have said that not aware of the Consequences but one would expect that he realizes the action of his statements by re-orientating his people on such groud”. But overall, I think he was fair enough in his assessment to draw the attention of the authority towards his people and that’s the positive in it”.
In Edo State, many believe that their fortunes lie abroad and would do anything to move overseas in search of better life conditions with Government at all levels failing in its Corporate Responsibilities.
The Contingent of Nigerians travelling abroad today are left with their destinies since they are not guaranteed Government support for a living
However, tens of thousands of people have died in their attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe through the Sahara desert.
On another measure, the Onojie Statement seems to corroborate Minister Sadiya Farouk who was reported to have claimed that, Only Poor Northerners Will Receive FG Support.
Recall that an Instagram post claims that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouk, said that only the poorest Nigerians resident in the North are qualified to receive Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer during the Coronavirus pandemic.
The post was made with the photograph of the minister and captioned: “We are only sharing money to the poorest Nigerians in the North because we don’t have poor people in Southern Nigeria.”
The post, was, however, described as an inflammatory statement with no source by the minister when she spoke at a press briefing on Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31, 2020, with the Presidential Taskforce.
At the briefing, she said that all vulnerable Nigerians in the 36 states across the federation including the FCT will be eligible for the conditional cash transfers.
The CDD urges the general public to disregard the inflammatory message and desist from sharing the claim.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government says it has disbursed N20,000 under its Conditional Cash Transfer scheme to 5,000 beneficiaries in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
President Buhari sometime in April 2020, ordered the three-month moratorium on government-funded loans from institutions such as the Bank Of Industry and Nigerian Export-Import Bank to beneficiaries of schemes such as TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni beneficiaries.
The gesture was to provide relief for the impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy.
The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme was introduced in 2016 as part of President Buhari’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) which involves payment of N5,000 monthly, paid bi-monthly, to the poorest Nigerians, mostly in rural communities.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar-Farouq, supervised the disbursement.
Umar-Farouq said the disbursement was one of the measures authorised by President Muhammadu Buhari to help citizens cope with the fallout of coronavirus.
With the state government taken into account the shame brought about by its citizenry who engaged in human trafficking for selfish gains, people are expected to abstain from illegal Migration and such Practices; except with the belief that they have embarked on such journey for Professional reasons.
More Stories
SERAP Demands Answers from Akpabio and Abbas Over ‘Fictitious’ N1.3bn Council Allocation
‘Probe alleged diversion of N6.3 billion constituency project funds’, SERAP tells Akpabio, Abbas.
Global Rights Observatory Issues Urgent Advisory to Nigeria Over Harassment of Anti-Corruption Group
SERAP to Akpabio, Abbas: ‘Refund N110bn Spent on Luxury Cars and Unlawful Allowances Now’
Edo Governor Vows Two-Week-Special Court to Fast-Track Death Sentences for Kidnappers and Cultists
