The Ebonyi Government on Sunday began the compilation of indigent and vulnerable persons’ lists in the state that would partake in the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives.
Chief Clement Nweke, Principal Secretary to Ebonyi Governor, in a statement in Abakaliki, said that 200 indigent and vulnerable persons were to be captured in all the 1,785 polling units of the state.
Nweke said the highest political office holder in each polling unit, who is the chairman of the unit’s compilation committee, must return the completed forms to his office on or before 4pm on Sunday.
“The exercise will be monitored by the Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC) COVID-19 situation room and concerned members of the public are free to report their observations through its hotlines.
“The polling unit compilation committee must ensure that all participants in the exercise must comply strictly with anti-COVID 19 safety measures,” Nweke said.
Mrs Jenniffer Adibe-Nwafor, the Governor’s Special Assistant (SA) on Inter-Party and Labour Matters, however, said in a statement that political parties were equitably represented in the compilation exercise.
Adibe-Nwafor said that all political parties were directed to send their representatives to all the polling units for effective monitoring of the exercise.
“Each political party is to send one representative to all polling units and the representative must come from the concerned polling unit.
“The representative must identify himself or herself to the highest political office holder in the polling unit as all political parties are directed to take the directive seriously.
“The Ebonyi government will not condone the politicising of the palliatives distribution process in the state,” she said.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), correspondent who monitored the exercise in Abakaliki, reports that many residents thronged the various poling units across the town as early as 10am.
The concerned officers were seen compiling the names of the indigents in full observation of stipulated guidelines on COVID-19.
Mr Nnanna Nwangele, Technical Assistant (TA) to the Governor on Environment, who is in charge of poling unit 003 of Kpirikpiri ward, commended the indigent persons for their orderly conduct and observance of COVID-19 precautions.
“We ensure that persons to be captured present their valid voter cards, wear face masks, wash their hands with running water, use the sanitisers we provided, keep a distance of about two meters from one another among other precautionary measures.
“We also ensure that all indigent persons are captured irrespective of political parties as the state governor has demonstrated his resolve to equitably distribute the palliatives to all indigent and vulnerable persons,” he said.
Mrs Grace Obi, a member of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in the state, said she headed to her polling unit for the compilation exercise straight from the church.
“We urge the relevant authorities to ensure that the compiled lists are not distorted for equitable distribution,” she said. (NAN)
