society
COVID-19: CACOVID launches N23b food palliative for 1.7m households
Nigeria’s Private Sector led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) yesterday formally announced the flag-off of a nationwide distribution of multi-billion naira food palliative and other relief items to mitigate the adverse effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic on vulnerable Nigerians.
The food relief materials for which the private sector operators are spending about N23 billion, will cover 1.7 families amounting to about 10 million people across the 774 local governments in the country, including the Federal Capital Territory.
CACOVID Administrator and CEO of Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), Zouera Youssoufou told newsmen in Lagos that the food distribution is the next phase in the line of actions mapped out by the coalition to partner government in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and relief the vulnerable people of the burden posed by the outbreak of the disease.
Zouera disclosed that with the announcement in Lagos, the Coalition has divided the nation into the six geo-political zones and the distribution was being flagged-off simultaneously in states such as Adamawa, Yobe, Ekiti Ogun, delta, Edo, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Plateau, and Nasarawa.
The offer of food palliatives, it will be recalled is coming on the heels of donations by CACOVID, of medical equipment in some instances to state governments to strengthen their response capacity and outright building of isolation facilities in about 38 centres in the country for which the Coalition had spent about N15 billion to help ease off the pressure on the states and federal government in their responses to the Pandemic.
CACOVID has also helped to reinforce the testing capacity of the NCDC with the donation of over 300,000 test kits and PPEs just as the Coalition is primed to commence the third and final phase of its COVID-19 response plan.
Mrs. Youssoufou displaying some of the food items disclosed that each family that would benefit from the palliatives would receive in various quantities, Rice, Pasta, Garri, Maize, Semo, noodles, salt and Sugar.
She explained the rationale behind the involvement of private sector operators in the fight against Covid-19 saying the irreducible minimum the private sector could do as partners in nation building is to collaborate with government at all levels to help fight the pandemic and reduce the hardship it has brought upon the nation and her people.
“CACOVID has since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic been committed to providing relief packages to the most vulnerable. The Coalition’s primary focus was to aid the Federal Government in the fight against COVID-19”,
“Having done this successfully, we are turning our attention to offering a reprieve to households who have been adversely affected by the scourge of the virus. Through this Food Relief Programme, we will be reducing the risk of a second viral wave by encouraging people to remain indoors rather than expose themselves when seeking to provide food for themselves and their families, Zouera stated.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation CEO reiterated that the Coalition will be working closely with the state governments through the Nigerian Governors Forum to ensure all targeted families are reached and that it is done transparently.
She said: “The State Governors and FCT Minister, through the State Implementation Committee, will appoint a coordinator to diligently record and send an accurate and complete copy of the inventory tracker and goods delivery notes to the CACOVID Operations Center daily through the State CACOVID Representative to ensure timely and efficient delivery and proper transparency and accountability.”
According to her; “The Food Relief Programme is being managed by the CACOVID Operations Centre in Lagos and we have procured the various food items from leading Nigerian Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies to achieve the necessary scale, speed, and quality assurance at carefully negotiated prices that reflect value for money without creating negative market distortions. Each pack or box is clearly identified and marked as ‘Not For Sale’.
“CACOVID has laid out an elaborate plan and will be distributing the relief packages to the target beneficiaries across all 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria with the State Governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as champions of this initiative in each state”, Youssoufou added.
She assured that since the resources of CACOVID are the contributions of private sector operators, operations and the account are being audited to ensure transparency and accountability.
Explaining the strategy being adopted for the distribution, Ms Osayi Alile, CEO, AspireCoronation Trust (ACT) Foundation, who is also CACOVID
Operations Implementation Committee member, explained that the Coalition was not political party biased but discharging its mandates to all Nigerians as ;aid out in the CACOVID objectives and goals.
According to her, a state implementation Committee has been constituted in each state which in turn draw up a list of households based on clearly defined criteria used to select the benefitting households that is consistent with the objectives of the CACOVID National Food Relief Programme.
“The State Government, through the State Implementation Committee, will organize for representatives of all the state Local Government Areas (LGAs) to collect the allocations for each LGA and oversee the redistribution to each Ward and onto each eligible beneficiary at the grassroots subsequently based on an agreed distribution schedule”, she explained.
In his remark, the Group Chief Corporate Communication Officer, Mr. Anthony Chiejina stated that while the food distributions are going on across the nation the Coalition would continue to intensify its grassroots awareness campaign on the virus simultaneously.
“While the people are being fed, we are also telling them that the virus is real and what should be done by way of hygiene to stay safe.”
Another CACOVID leader and the Group Head, Corporate Communication, Access Bank Plc, Amaechi Okobi pleaded with the media to help inform the people of the food distribution phase of the Coalition action plan saying the people deserve to know is being done to compliment government’s efforts to reduce the effect of the deadly virus.
Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | For Sahara Weekly NG
For decades, Nigeria has endured the consequences of an overstretched, inefficient and highly politicized central policing system. The result? Catastrophic. Rising insecurity, emboldened terrorists, banditry and unchecked violence have ravaged nearly every corner of the country. From the blood-soaked fields of Zamfara to the kidnapping corridors of the South-East and the cult-infested creeks of the Niger Delta, the evidence is irrefutable: centralized policing has failed Nigerians.
Despite its glaring dysfunction, the idea of devolving police powers to state governments remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial debates. Detractors argue that state police may be abused by governors as political thugs, but that’s a distraction from the real question: Do states in Nigeria currently have the financial and structural capacity to run police forces that are accountable, professional and effective; not as political weapons but as agents of justice and peace?
Central Policing: A Colonial Relic Turned Burden
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), with about 370,000 officers serving over 220 million people, has one of the worst police-to-citizen ratios in the world. According to United Nations standards, a functional ratio is 1 officer to every 450 citizens. Nigeria languishes at roughly 1:600, and that’s before factoring in the lopsided deployment of personnel.
Shockingly, more than 40% of officers are assigned to VIP protection (guarding politicians, their families and business elites) while ordinary Nigerians are left defenceless against armed robbers, kidnappers and insurgents.
This structure is not accidental; it is a colonial legacy. As Professor Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development aptly puts it:
“The Nigerian police are not trained to serve the people. They are trained to protect the state from the people.”
That mindset still dominates. The NPF remains a blunt, top-down instrument of coercion, not community safety. From the excesses of SARS to police complicity during elections, the central police system has consistently shown that it is out of touch and out of control.
The Case for State Policing: Security Must Be Local
Nigeria is a federation on paper but a unitary dictatorship in practice, especially regarding policing. With over 250 ethnic groups, multiple languages and complex regional dynamics, a one-size-fits-all federal police force cannot address the security needs of all states.
Countries like the United States, India, Canada and Germany, all federal in structure, operate decentralized policing models. In the U.S., over 90% of law enforcement is handled by state, county or municipal agencies and not Washington, D.C.
Nigeria has already seen states respond to security failures by creating regional outfits: Amotekun (South-West), Ebube Agu (South-East), Hisbah (North) and others. These are clear expressions of popular no-confidence votes in the federal police. But these outfits remain legally weak and operationally constrained without constitutional backing.
What Nigeria needs now is not just more vigilante groups but a legal and constitutional framework that allows states to form and manage professional, community-embedded police services.
Can States Afford State Police? The Numbers Don’t Lie
One of the most common arguments against state policing is financial incapacity. This argument is misleading and frankly, LAZY.
According to BudgIT and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS):
Lagos State generates over ₦400 billion annually in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which is more than some African countries.
Rivers, Ogun, Delta and Kaduna States each generate over ₦50 billion annually.
25 states generate more than ₦10 billion annually.
So why do we say they “cannot afford” state policing? The issue isn’t capacity, it’s priority and accountability.
If states can build multi-billion-naira airports, mega flyovers and luxurious government houses, surely they can fund training, equipment and welfare for 5,000 to 10,000 well-trained state officers.
In 2024, the federal government allocated over ₦1.3 trillion to police and security services. Yet, most rural communities remain vulnerable. A fraction of that, used efficiently by states, can yield better results. Moreover, states could seek matching grants or partnerships with private and international donors to strengthen their security apparatus.
The Fear of Abuse: A Convenient Excuse
A major objection to state policing is the potential for abuse by state governors. But let’s be clear: the federal police are not immune to abuse. SARS was a federal outfit, yet it became synonymous with torture, extrajudicial killings and robbery.
During the 2023 general elections, federal police were accused of colluding with political parties to suppress opposition and disenfranchise voters. In Lagos, Rivers and Kano, shocking videos of police inaction and collaboration with thugs circulated widely.
The abuse argument is not an argument against decentralization; it is an argument for institutional reform.
A properly crafted State Police Act must include:
Independent oversight commissions
Auditable budgets and public transparency
Cross-border collaboration to prevent jurisdictional loopholes
Community-based recruitment
Strict human rights and use-of-force protocols
National benchmarks for training and ethics
The Federal Government’s role should evolve into providing technical support, forensic labs and inter-state crime coordination not micromanaging state security from Abuja.
Political Bottlenecks: The Elephant in the Room
Why, despite mounting evidence, has Nigeria failed to implement state policing?
Politics.
Centralized policing is a political weapon. Whoever controls the federal police controls elections, opposition suppression and even media narratives. That is why the ruling class is reluctant to devolve power.
In 2021, the National Assembly blocked key constitutional amendments that would have allowed states to establish their own police forces. Why? Because the party in power benefits from centralized force.
As Wole Soyinka warned:
“There’s no way we can continue along this unitarist line. It’s a logical contradiction. You can’t continue with this crude, centralist mindset and expect safety.”
State governors (especially in the South) must form a united front to lobby for this constitutional change. This will require sacrificing political capital, building coalitions across party lines and directly engaging the Nigerian public.
A National Crossroads: Reform or Ruin
Insecurity in Nigeria is no longer an abstract debate, it is an existential crisis. Farmers are abandoning fields. Children cannot go to school. Businesses are closing. Millions live under the daily threat of violence, extortion and death.
We must not allow political cowardice or elite selfishness to deny Nigerians the right to safety.
A decentralized police system is not a luxury; it is a necessity for national survival. Every state should have the constitutional authority, financial framework and legal support to secure its people.
It is time to break free from colonial chains and build a policing system that reflects our federal reality, respects our diversity and protects every Nigerian; rich, middle-class or poor, north, east or south, Muslim, Christian or Pagans.
The time for half-measures has passed.
The time to decentralize is now.
society
Tayo Folorunsho Launches Universal Varsity TV Auditions to Discover Rising Student Stars in Abuja
Tayo Folorunsho Launches Universal Varsity TV Auditions to Discover Rising Student Stars in Abuja
In a bold stride for youth-driven edutainment in Nigeria, media entrepreneur and education advocate Tayo Folorunsho has launched a groundbreaking talent audition at the University of Abuja. This initiative, aimed at discovering aspiring actors and content creators, is part of a larger project—the upcoming Campus Life Series—set to air on his newly licensed channel, Universal Varsity Television (UVT).
With an enthusiastic turnout of talented students, the audition kicked off what promises to be a transformative campus-focused web series. The Campus Life Series will weave together drama, education, and social commentary, offering an authentic portrayal of student experiences across Nigerian universities.
“We’ve seen incredible talent during the auditions,” said Folorunsho, founder and CEO of UVT. “These students will form the core cast of Campus Life Series, which will air on our new station.”
More than just entertainment, the series is designed as a platform to spotlight the real-life challenges, triumphs, and social issues faced by Nigerian students.
“This isn’t just about acting—it’s about impact,” Folorunsho explained. “We’re using storytelling to reflect campus realities, highlight systemic issues, and give young creatives a meaningful platform to express themselves.
Redefining Media and Education in Nigeria
Folorunsho’s vision is being hailed as a visionary fusion of advocacy and entertainment. By merging storytelling with student empowerment, he is cultivating a new wave of creators who are not only telling their stories but shaping national conversations.
The Campus Life Series is set to address pressing issues such as inadequate infrastructure, student welfare, academic pressure, and campus politics. Beyond the screen, the project offers hands-on media production experience, helping students build relevant skills that could propel them into careers in the creative industry.
With Universal Varsity Television, Tayo Folorunsho is not just launching a channel—he is launching a movement. One that champions youth voices, celebrates campus life, and redefines what it means to educate and entertain in Nigeria.
-
society3 months agoRamadan Relief: Matawalle Distributes Over ₦1 Billion to Support 2.5 Million Zamfara Residents
-
celebrity radar - gossips6 months agoCourt To Hear ₦5 Billion Suit Against Sinach For Alleged Copyright Infringement
-
Business6 months agoDangote Refinery, wonder of modern technology ― Japan Ambassador, business community
-
society5 months agoNAPS Presidential Aspirant Lauds Tinubu’s ₦3.5 Trillion Education Budget, Advocates for Polytechnic Investment