COVID 19: Elected public officers should relocate to their constituencies – Obi

TRACKING____The Vice Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the plight of vulnerable and unemployed Nigerians whose survival is tied to their day-to-day activities.

He therefore called on elected leaders in the country to see to the welfare of people in their constituents by staying much closer to them to ascertain and provide for their immediate needs in this trying period.

Why Nigerians are turning to prayers

To public office holders, he said “this is the time to be with your people in your various constituencies.”

Obi said that the call on leadership at this trying times entails that public officers especially legislators, should be observing the stay-at-home directive their various constituencies to help their people to find solutions to their problems and challenges.

The former governor of Anambra State said that by being in their constituencies to monitor the situation, the elected leaders will be in a position not only to support their people in their time of need, but to also properly advice government on how to address the fallouts of government policies.

Speaking on the heels of the total lockdown of the country being announced by federal and state governments, he said that whilst all possible measures should be deployed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, appropriate measures should be taken to mitigate the suffering of the very vulnerable.

In a statement from his media office, he lamented that there are several millions of Nigerians who are unemployed and underemployed, whose means of livelihood depends on daily income which the present situation will definitely worsen.

He said that in locking down the country, such vulnerable people should be factored into government policies, as is the case in other countries, by putting measures in place to cushion the effects of the lockdown on them.

Obi, who expressed gratitude for the efforts of some Political leaders, Captains of Industry and Corporate Bodies, urged the Federal Government to do more to mitigate the situation, especially for poor Nigerians, as being witnessed in other climes.

According to him, “it would be counter-productive to keep only the elite in mind when taking such far-reaching decisions as closing down markets without having some cushioning measures for the traders.”

Finally, Obi called on leaders of all segments of society to make sacrifices and show commitment at this critical period in the history of the nation.