By Emeke Alexander
Frontline Niger Delta human rights activist, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, has sought the intervention of the EFCC, ICPC and other anti-graft agencies in Nigeria on the perceived frauds being perpetrated under the guise of fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Comrade Sheriff, who is the national coordinator of a non-governmental organisation, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, made the call while reacting to the rising figures of COVID-19 cases in parts of the country, and the need for the relevant anti-graft agencies to be vigilant to help save the Nigerian economy from opportunist politicians in government who may want to exploit the present situation to embezzle public funds.
He particularly appealed to state governors who do not have genuine or tangible evidences of COVID-19 in their states to stop reading out fake figures of coronavirus cases from their Government Houses, and quoting guidelines from the Ministry of Health and NCDC without proper arrangements to cater for their citizens.
Comrade Mulade, a traditional High Chief in the Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State, expressed displeasure with the manner in which some governors in the Niger Delta region had used the innocent poor and vulnerable persons to glamorize themselves in the media without actually touching the lives of the people during the critical COVID-19 lockdown period.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for standing tall against COVID 19 pandemic and urged Nigerians to give him maximum support towards overcoming the global health challenge devoid of religious, political and ethnic considerations. He also called on the governors to genuinely reach out to their people with quality palliatives to cushion the effects of the hardships at this critical time.