What Shehu Sani told FG

A former Kaduna State Senator, Shehu Sani has rebunked the Federal Government for declaring that any citizen with the sum of five thousand naira in their account will not receive the N20,000 stimulus.

In a series of tweets, Sani asked the FG to stop convicting the poor over lockdown violations as “they didn’t import COVID-19”

He tweeted: “In a country where the minimum wage is officially 30k ;to deny a citizen 5k because he has 5k in his account under lockdown with no end in sight is illogical and irrational.

“The Poor can be accused of many things,but the poor did not ‘import’ #COVID19 into our country. Stop killing or convicting them over lockdown violations.There should be a more civilized and lenient way of punishing the innocent’

“The man that you should arrest,try and convict for violating the Lockdown order is the one you credit his account with the 20k or provide enough food for his family and yet he chose to flout the order.”

On the eve of Easter day, Onyxnews Nigeria had reported that the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari had extended the lockdown on Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, indefinitely declaring them “essential” to defeat the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

He also urged Nigerians to “observe restrictions on movement where they are in place” during the Easter holiday.

The President in a statement released by Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu declared that the lockdown imposed for initial period of 14 days from March 29, will now last as long “as our scientific advisers declare they are necessary.”

“For those who suffer most egregiously” during the lockdown, Buhari said the government was set to assist with grains and distribution of small cash payments.

“No elected government could ask more of the citizens of the country that elected them than today we ask of you,” the President said.

He further said: “But we must ask you – once more – to observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers: stay home, wash your hands, save lives.

“We ask you to listen and follow public announcements via the mass media for instructions as to how to receive this government support – and learn of more public assistance in the coming days.

“All that the Government is asking you to endure is because nowhere in the world today is there any known way of defeating this pandemic. There is no vaccine. And that means there are choices to be made: between continuing as usual, or accepting the restrictions even when they come with unintended consequences.

The president later addressed the Nation on Easter Monday. He said the lockdown will last for another two weeks.