Barely two years after the dreaded COVID-19 menace struck, Nigerians happen upon another palliative warehouse in Osun state. What appears to be a store full of goods, is reportedly COVID-19 relief materials, otherwise known as CACOVID.
In a viral video making rounds on social media, irate Nigerian citizens are seeking answers. Residents of Ede town in Osun state have equally demanded to know why there is a storehouse full to the brim with supposed COVID-19 relief goods.
Items seen in the video includes mountain-high cartons of spaghetti, sugar, salt, tin tomatoes, indomie, garri, rice etc. So far, it is unclear if the Cocoa Industry warehouse beside Adeleke University in Osun State was the same “Ede warehouse looting” site. That was raided two years ago by angry Osun people.
The ‘palliative warehouse in Osun’ debacle is occurring at a time when inflation is rocking the Nigerian economy. Alongside enormous budget deficit, debt and shrinking revenue. Nigerian students in public universities are also out of school due to ASUU strike which is yet to see a breakthrough. The Nigerian Police Force including unions like electricity, labour, etc also embarked on strike actions.
Many people have protested the despicable act of the Nigerian government in the viral video. Stating how atrocious it was that the Coalition Against Covid-19 (CACOVID) relief materilas which the Nigerian government should have dispersed was hoarded. It’s also saddening, to see millions of its citizens wallow in poverty, and neglect the country’s hunger problem.
Others wonder, albeit in shock, if this was another campaign strategy Nigerian political parties are employing to win 2023 elections. Whether or not the palliative warehouse in Osun is in fact part of political juggernaut’s moves to exert electoral clientelism remains elusive. Although there are speculations too that the warehouse could belong to an innocent Nigerian entrepreneur.
However, the Osun state government has remained adamant since the video surfaced online. Nigerians, especially residents of Ede town are waiting with bated breaths for the government to break the silence.