Okowa to FG: Use Percentage of Fuel Subsidy Funds for Poor Nigerians Health Insurance
- Governor Ifeanyi Okowa wants the 25 per cent of funds expended on fuel subsidy to be used effectively
- The Delta state governor is canvassing that the funds be used for health care and education
- The governor made the suggestion when he received a federal government delegation at Government House, Asaba
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has called on the federal government to use 25 percent of funds expended on fuel subsidy to provide health insurance for vulnerable Nigerians.
A statement sent to Legit.ng by the Delta state government noted that Okowa made the call on Friday, March 19 when he received the minister of state for health, Dr. Olurunnimbe Mamora, who visited him at Government House, Asaba.
Okowa said that the federal government spent lots of money in subsidizing fuel for the rich, without consideration for the vulnerable in the society.
According to him, Nigeria would experience peace if 25 percent of the subsidy funds were deployed for an insurance scheme for the less-privileged.
Source: Twitter
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
His words:
“The money being used to subsidise fuel today, if 25 percent is spent to provide health insurance for all Nigerians that have not been able to afford health care, it will help us as a nation.
“We must continue to direct our policies in favour of the poor because if the family is well enough it can take care of itself.
“If a reasonable chunk of that money is spent on the education of the poor children, it will help to check insecurity and unemployment to a large extent and we must continue to voice this narrative to change things in this country.”
Earlier, the minister had told the governor that he and his delegation were in Delta to inspect facilities at the FMC, Asaba, and thanked him for his contributions to the management of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the federal government has revealed that some Nigerian scientists have produced at least two COVID-19 vaccines which are awaiting clinical trials and certification.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and chairman Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, revealed this on Monday, March 22 while addressing journalists in Abuja.
In a related development, the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has maintained that the COVID-19 vaccination exercise in Nigeria should not be halted because of the fears of side-effects.
NAFDAC's director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, advised that with the rate of deaths from the pandemic both locally and globally, it will be wrong and dangerous to stop the exercise.
Jerrywright Ukwu is an Abuja-based senior political/defence correspondent at Legit.ng. He is a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos and the International Institute of Journalism in Abuja. He is also a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. He spends his leisure-time reading history books. He can be reached via email at jerrywright39@yahoo.com.
Source: Legit.ng
