COVID-19: Paul Obazele offers working formula to help masses benefit from palliatives

 Former national president of Association of Movie Producers of Nigeria (AMP), Paul Obazele, has come up with what he terms a “working formula” to ensure that the Nigerian masses benefit from palliatives meant to cushion the effect of the current lockdown.

The Lagos State-born actor cum producer from Esan, Edo State, and Business Administration graduate from Auchi Polytechnic said he was miffed by a recent video which went viral on the social media whereby an elderly woman offered to sleep with any man to get any amount of money in order to survive the prolonged shutdown with her children.

According to Obazele, the government’s claims to have distributed food items and money to the people are not factual.

He said if the authorities are sincere, there are better ways of ensuring that the palliatives get to the masses.

“Government should know that people are wiser, this it is not the time to play politics or take people for granted. We have 744 LGAs in this country. We have 119937 polling units. And an additional 57,023 were added to these polling units. Now, when we do elections in this country, accreditations may start probably around 8am and by noon it is done and before 3 o’ clock, every voting is done. I want to believe that if we apply same tact to say we take relief materials to these polling stations and the additional 57023 that is built, every Nigerian should have gotten relief,” said the light-skinned actor who was once named one of the most consistent faces on television in Nigeria.

Continuing, he said: “So, I do not understand it when they say they will give a loaf of bread to somebody or three loaves of bread for a street to share. All of a sudden, it is as if the federal government does not have the addresses of people or even know how to get to people. Yet when elections come, the polling units are active. What is happening to our leaders? What is happening to representatives of the people in the green chamber and in the red chamber? What is happening?”

“The Local Government Councils are trying. They have done their best but it is not working. With all the monies they say they have spent, I know if you call out the polling units and sincerely take these things to those centres, yes every voting adult in this country will get a relief material. Knowing full well that a family will be able to produce at least three or four voting members and once they collect it, they will be able to stay indoors and stay locked down. Let us help ourselves, let us help the nation, and let us help people in the dying minute of this,” Obazele pleaded.

“This is not a time for politicians to enrich themselves and pocket the things meant for a common man. I saw a video where an elderly woman was saying she was going to sleep with men to get money to feed her family. It is a shame, a big shame. I am not happy, I am very, very sad but I am not fighting. I am just begging you to please reason in this sense with me. I am trying to make good sense here. Use the local unit. Use the polling unit. We will all get these relief materials and we will all live happily ever after COVID-19,” he added.