COVID-19: Obasa’s Palliative Measures Criticised, Rejected By Youths

By Akinwale Kasali

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa is facing serious criticism and rejection by his constituents and people of Lagos over his palliative measures for the masses during this period that the outbreak of Coronavirus Pandemic has restricted the movement of Nigerians.

The Rice, Beans, Garri, Bread distributed by the Speaker was outrightly rejected by some youths, who in a video were seen throwing the bread inside the gutter, while some were passing the bread to each with their feet as a ball.

Reacting to this development which has gone viral in all social media platforms, the Speaker has however taken a swipe at those criticising him for not doing enough with the relief packages he shared to his Agege constituents.

In his plan to ease the negative effects the Coronavirus lockdown might have on the people of his constituency, Obasa ordered the distribution of a range of stimulus packages to them.

Although, majority of the beneficiaries of the Speaker’s largesse which cut across vulnerable people in all the Wards of Agege local government and Orile LCDA have continued to praise him, while some criticised it as a ‘greek gift’, while it appears to a section of people in the community have decided to play politics with the gesture he claimed

The wide range criticism forced Obasa to break his silence, however, warning against ”playing politics with people’s economic life”, stating that his priority was to reach out to his people and not trying to make political gains out of the scheme.

It was gathered that the rejection of Obasa’s largesse to his constituents may have political undertone.

In a viral online video, kids, youths were seen kicking around the customized loaves of bread shared together in the package by the Obasa team.

But political observers in the State wondered why his critics had to pick out the bread alone from among other items which include 3,500 2kg bags of rice, 1,500 packs of table water and sanitizers.

The Speaker, while condemning his critics, said; ”why would people not look at the economic value of sharing even loaves of bread among thousands of poor people, if the bread alone is their concern? People can play politics but I would advise that we don’t resort to playing politics with people’s life-support.”

He went further that the initiative was targeted at the less endowed, the market men and women, Muslim and Christian association members, artisans, Ndigbos and Arewa members, NUT and PTA members, who are entrapped economically by the forced Coronavirus holiday within Agege and Orile-Agege local councils that are his constituencies.