COVID-19: We disagree with Anambra State’s expenditure — Rights Group

By Our Reporters

A human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law, Intersociety, has expressed doubt over the amount claimed by the Anambra State government to have spent in its precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The group said the claim was bogus and that such amount was spent in the moon even as they doubt if any of such items claimed were actually on ground.

“It is categorically clear that the N1 billion claimed by the Obiano-led Government of Anambra State to have been spent on ‘proactive’ procurement of coronavirus prevention equipment, was only spent in the moon.

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“This is nothing short of a total vindication of the over-inflated amount. I can categorically tell you that the N1 billion was not spent on anti-corona virus equipment.

“First, those items mentioned are sold at the Tools & Allied Market and the remainder at its neighbouring Surgical Market of the Onitsha Niger Bridgehead Central Market.

“I was brought to that Tools & Allied in late 1983 as a teen for apprenticeship and have remained there from the year of my settlement in 1993 till date and I can tell you that no other market sells those equipment in industrial quantity and cheaper anywhere in Anambra or beyond than the Tools & Allied Market.

“A supply of those items worth N300 million will dry all the items in the market, not to talk of N1 billion.

“Facemasks, for instance, were so scarce in the market and Lagos that it is very difficult to purchase 100 cartons of same today. Packed 2000 pieces in a carton now goes for N92, 000 per carton from N10, 000 to N14, 000 it used to be sold way back in January 2020; all owing to acute scarcity.”

Vanguard News Nigeria.

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