At long last, the long awaited palliatives from the Ebonyi State government have surreptitiously descended from Mountains Kilimanjaro and Everest to land with volcanic eruptions at no other place, but at the feet of many Ebonyi residents, whether at home or abroad.
"Egu nworu olile enya egbugu madu" is a saying by Ehugbo/ Afikpo people, roughly translated to mean that food expectancy does not kill a famished fellow, but many Ebonyians have since lost confidence in the now-to-become-reality palliatives, thanks to the politics that precipitated them.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic berthed in Nigeria and federal and state governments started taking measures to contain its spread, hunger has been the common anthem of many Nigerians, with Ebonyians not left out, especially with the restriction of movement, ban on Okada (which has since been lifted), skyrocketing prices of consumables (in the midst of poverty), among others.
Even the news of the distribution of palliatives to the state government by the federal government was welcomed at a time, but the news only served to whet the appetite of expectant Ebonyians, who understandably grew restless and became disgruntled after reading or hearing so much about the palliatives, but without seeing any with passing days.
In fact, to add salt to injury, many Ebonyians were forced to write names and register for the "heard-but-not-seen" palliatives at different times, with political office holders already cashing into the situation by charging money to record the "longitude and latitude" of would be beneficiaries.
However, all that may now be a tale in the past and Umahi can be forgiven to "go and sin no more" as residents are presently heaving a sigh of relief following announcement by the state government that the palliatives (donations from both the federal and state governments, individuals and organisations), would be distributed to all residents across the 1,785 polling units in the state, "irrespective of social and economic backgrounds".
This is as the Ebonyi State government recently inaugurated COVID-19 Palliatives Distribution Joint Committee, comprising members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), existing political parties and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to oversee the distribution of the relief materials released by the federal and state governments; to ease the hardship occasioned by the lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hungry, poor Ebonyians can wait
Nevertheless, on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, in a statewide broadcast at the new Government House, Abakaliki, on the efforts of government to to provide palliatives for indigenes of the state, Umahi noted that he was not ignorant of the hunger and hardship faced by people across the country, stating that the state was willing to do more as its economy improves.
Umahi explained that the state would start immediately to distribute all palliatives accruing to it from the Federal Government, private donors as well as those sourced by the state government fairly to all, irrespective of party or other inclinations.
According to the governor, churches and religious leaders, as well as leaders of the state, would also be accommodated, while widows and other vulnerable groups were to be given special attention under the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Religious and Welfare Matters.
He said: “Our palliatives to many sectors of the society will start today. I know there is hunger in the state and this is my number one priority: to fight hunger and poverty, and we are doing that. So, in this coming week, we will be sending palliatives to Lagos and Abuja to our people there.
"We will be sending 2,000 bags of 5kg rice and N5 million to Abuja and 4,000 5kg rice and N10 million to Lagos. They have to share it to our people from the 13 local government areas residing in the areas. This is the much we can do now. God helping us, we can do more.
“I know that people in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Okigwe and other places will start asking, but I want you to know that there is no state that can provide for all its citizens. Of course, churches, religious leaders, some of our leaders will also get some rice from this season.”
Charity begins from diaspora
However, while many residents of the state have already emptied their bowels, in expectation of a feast, but are waiting patiently (with bowls in outstretched arms) for the palliatives, which will logically not get to everybody, they may have to endure the politics or another twist to the situation, that is the inclusion of those living outside the state, as revealed by Umahi in the aforementioned broadcast.
In fact, the many people believing that "charity begins from home" have a warped sense of reasoning, at least according to the Ebonyi State government, with regards to the extension of the distribution of palliatives to Ebonyians residing outside the state, while many of those resident in Ebonyi state whimper over neglect.
With the inclusion of Ebonyians in Lagos and Abuja, according to the Ebonyi state government, charity should also begin from diaspora or anywhere as long as it is not from Ebonyi State and many residents should wait for those living outside the state to eat too before it could go round.
"Does it mean that Ebonyians are only in Abuja and Lagos? The government is sharing palliatives to Ebonyians in diaspora, whereas those in the state are starving. It is not fair," was the comment by a Facebook user, Comfort Ebere Rita Idenyi, on a post by the Technical Assistant to Umahi on Media, Hon. Ndubuisi Goodluck Itumo.
APC makes case
Interestingly, the only problem or the only thing worth losing sleep over to the Ebonyi State chapter of the APC is the fact that Umahi repackaged the bags of rice from the federal government in smaller bags bearing his pictures.
Were it not that the state governor wants Ebonyians to see him as their Messiah or life-saver in time of hunger (hence his emblazoning his pictures for them to see as their eat the rice), the palliatives can rot in warehouses as long as the Ebonyi APC is concerned.
In fact, on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, the Chairman of APC in Ebonyi State, Eze Nwachukwu, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki, listed conditions that must be fulfilled by the state government for the party to participate in the COVID-19 Ebonyi palliatives distribution.
Nwachukwu said the party received invitation for participation in the distribution through a radio announcement on the state-owned Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC) on April 24 and that the party honoured the invitation, after consulting with stakeholders, and attended the meeting presided over by the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and Chairman COVID-19 Welfare and Fund Raising Sub-Committee, Hon. Francis Nwifuru.
He said: “I heard a radio announcement on EBBC inviting me to a meeting at the House of Assembly on COVID-19 palliatives and after consultations with my members, it became imperative that we attend. I attended the meeting where-in they briefed us on the plans and arrangements for the palliative distribution. It was at the meeting that I got information that they are repackaging the rice meant for distribution to the people to bear Governor Dave Umahi’s picture.
“I briefed my party members on this development and it was resolved that we should write to them officially, informing them that both the President’s and Governor’s pictures must be on the branded rice if there must be pictures at all. We also suggested in our letter that, in the alternative, the rice should be left as they were when they were delivered to the state by the Federal Government or let the inscription read: ‘COVID-19 Palliatives courtesy: FG/Ebonyi Governments'."
Continuing, he said: “We are resolute in our position that we, as a party, will not be part of the committee should Ebonyi Government go ahead to brand the rice with only the governor’s picture. We, however, agreed that political parties involved should raise one person each per polling unit, which we have done, but we are yet to submit until they reply our letter.
“So, we’ll wait for a reply of the letter, which we delivered through speed post on Friday, which we have evidence of delivery. So, I’m waiting for them to give us a reply. If they do, then we’ll look at the content of the reply and if it is something that we will continue, we'll continue. But if it’s not, we’ll tell the whole world that we are not part of the exercise and our reasons for doing so.”
Paul Okah is an Abuja based journalist, blogger and Vox Pop Editor for Blueprint Newspaper.
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