COVID-19: Constituents lament neglect by lawmakers as lockdown bites harder

As the lockdown to curb the spread of the new COVID-19 pandemic continues to bite harder, some lawmakers have been accused of deserting their constituencies when they are most needed. Aside the collective donation of salaries to the federal government, some members of the National Assembly have also contributed to COVID-19 response in their respective […]

As the lockdown to curb the spread of the new COVID-19 pandemic continues to bite harder, some lawmakers have been accused of deserting their constituencies when they are most needed.

Aside the collective donation of salaries to the federal government, some members of the National Assembly have also contributed to COVID-19 response in their respective states as well as providing palliatives to constituents to ease the lockdown effects.

However, even for those that have reached out to their constituents, mixed reactions have trailed what they presented as palliatives.

While some relief items attracted commendations, others are said to be insignificant, with no impact on people’s lives.

In some places, constituents accused lawmakers of handing over the relief items to party members, with the distribution mainly among loyalists in the wards.

In other areas, people spoken to said they only heard of palliatives but did not see any distributed.

Sokoto

Some people spoken to in Sokoto lamented that their lawmakers have abandoned them.

Out of 14 federal lawmakers in the state, only two are said to have provided palliatives to their constituents, our correspondent reports.

Daily Trust gathered that the senator representing Sokoto North, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, reached out to his people with relief items, while Mani Maishinku Katami, who represents Binji-Silame federal constituency, gave cash donation in addition to contribution he made to the state COVID-19 Rapid Response Team, along with three other PDP’s federal lawmakers.

The three lawmakers are Balarabe Kakale, Abu Audu and Muhammad Sa’idu Bargaja.

Daily Trust further gathered that the senator representing Sokoto South zone, Ibrahim Danbaba Dambuwa, supported the state’s coronavirus response team but nothing had been heard about providing palliatives to members of his constituency.

It was same story with three members of the House of Representatives from the zone, Bala Kokani (Kebbe/Tambuwal), Abubakar Umar Yabo (Yabo/Shagari) and Balarabe Kakale (Dange-Shuni/Bodinga/Tureta) respectively.

Similarly, in Sokoto East, constituents said their representative, Engr Ibrahim Gobir, had not been coming to the area even with the frequent bandits’ attacks which have been claiming lives and properties.

The story was not different with the people of Sokoto South/Sokoto North, Tangaza/Gudu, and Kware/Wamakko as they claimed they have received no support from their representatives, Abu Audu, Yusuf Isa Kurdula and Abdullahi Kalambaina, to mitigate their hardships in this trying time.

Daily Trust reliably gathered that some of the lawmakers are in Abuja while those in the state were not in their constituencies but were hiding in the state capital.

Osun

It was mixed reactions in Osun State with the people saying while some lawmakers have sent them relief materials, others had abandoned them in this difficult time.

A resident of Osogbo, Mr Oseni Mudasiru, said the senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Dr Ajibola Basiru and Osogbo Federal Constituency, Bukola Oyewo have not done anything for their constituents in terms of relief items since the commencement of the lockdown in the state to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chairman of newspaper distributors in the state, Mr Mohammed Azeez Olaiya, also confirmed Mudasiru’s claim and also hoped that the lawmakers would soon reach out to them.

For the senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Fadahunsi, his constituents also have the same sad tale. They said they have not received relief materials from him.

In Osun West Senatorial District, constituents said they have not received palliatives from the Iwo-born senator representing them in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. They, however, confirmed that member of the House of Representatives representing Ede/Egbedore federal constituency distributed palliative materials.

However, a newspaper distributor in Osogbo federal constituency, Mr Kehinde Popoola, told Daily Trust that he received palliative materials from Bukoye.

Also, Mr Lawal Mohammed, a poultry farmer in Osogbo said he has eight children and that his business has collapsed. He said he got beans, semovita and spaghetti from Bukoye.

A community leader, Chief Adetoyese Olayanju said Basiru sent relief materials to him and expressed gratitude to the senator.

A resident of Osun from Ife-Ijesa federal constituency, Mr Ajibola Olubi, told Daily Trust that the member, House of Representatives from the constituency, Hon Busayo Oluwole-Oke, distributed relief materials to his constituents.

Abia

Similarly, the palliatives distributed by federal lawmakers from Abia State have attracted mixed feelings.

Our correspondent spoke to some constituents in Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency, Ikwuano, Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, Arochukwu/ Ohafia Federal Constituency and Umunneochi/ Isuikwuato Federal Constituency.

The lawmakers were accused by some of their constituents of handing over the palliatives to their party members in the various wards. Some said they only heard of palliatives but never saw any distributed. Those who were reached said what they got was very shameful and embarrassing.

Enugu

In Enugu State, a former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, at the weekend, donated palliatives and cash worth millions of Naira to his constituents in Enugu West Senatorial District.

But his palliatives generated mixed reactions. While some of the constituents commended him for the gesture, others asked for more.

A constituent in Awgu Local Government Area, Ike Ugwu said: “People think the NASS members have done their best but we think their best is not enough yet.

At Enugu East Senatorial District, it was not quite clear whether Senator Chimaroke Nnamani (PDP) and the House of Representatives member in the area, Rep Nnolim Nnaji, who is also Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, have made any donations.

However, a member of the constituency, Mr Ndubuisi Chineme, an Enugu-based fashion designer appealed to the lawmakers to help cushion the effect of the lockdown.

Borno

Over the last week, federal and state legislators in Borno State have continued to trickle back to their constituencies with assistances to cushion the effect of the partial lockdown in the largely IDP- populated state.

Already, the 28 members of the state assembly have contributed 50 per cent of their monthly salaries for the months of April and May to the state COVID-19 committee to prevent the spread of the disease.

Ekiti

In Ekiti State,  there are nine federal lawmakers. While some of them have donated cash and relief materials to their constituents, the effort of others to cushion the effects of the coronavirus lockdown are not known.

Lawmakers react

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is also Chairman of the South-East Senate Caucus, said he would continue to work with his colleagues “to ensure that the South East gets its fair and equitable share of every intervention by the federal government in addition to our modest individual initiatives to help our constituents in these trying times.”

“I call on the Presidency to consider increasing the number of beneficiaries as well as the amount given to individual beneficiaries in the Conditional Cash Transfer programme in order to impact a more significant number of indigent Nigerians,” the lawmaker said.

Senator Danbaba Dambuwa, PDP, Sokoto South Senatorial District, said though they were not given anything by the federal government for their constituents, he had spent millions of Naira in purchasing different items distribution to his constituents.

“I am not doing it because of politics. This has been part of me long before joining politics in 2014,” he said.