The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina has on Thursday opened up on why the Federal government ignored the Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State’s N15 billion intervention request to fight the novel coronavirus disease.
Adesina said the federal government needs to be convinced by what it sees on ground in the state in order to know how and what to support.
The Special Adviser disclosed this while featuring on a radio program ‘As E Dey Hot’ on Wazobia FM, Kano on Thursday.
Adesina continued when he said the federal government assisted Lagos State with N10 billion only because it was satisfied the government of Lagos state started on the right footing, rolling out proper plans and mobilizing its fund to fight the pandemic.
He said Lagos state was only scouting for technical, manpower and facility supports, not financial support.
The Special Adviser said with that the Buhari government felt obliged to lend a financial helping hand not because it was asked to, but because it was convinced it should.
Adesina however explained that all the governors directly asking for money at the start of their COVID-19 crisis may not get it, saying that was why the president sent technical support to Kano State which the government felt was what is needed at the material time in the state.
According to him, “the federal government is moved by what it saw, and say, ah! This state needs help, and then it helped Lagos state.
“Any other state that is also doing its work and is not complaining, and is not saying bring money, bring money, bring money, federal government will do all that necessary to do to assist.
“Technical support is very very important, very very important. Lagos state got technical support before it got financial support. Manpower support is very good. Facility support, very good.
“And then, when it comes to financial support, the federal government will always do whatever is necessary to support,” Adesina said.
Recall that the federal government at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria, released N10 billion to Lagos state to boost its capacity in the fight against the novel COVID19 outbreak.
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