The reality of the continued hardship Nigerians are experiencing have prompted more Governors to toe the line of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State who, days ago, announced free ride in government’s transit rides dor Lagosians.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of and Babagana Zulum, respectively of Edo and Borna on Thursday free ride and free drugs.
Cash crunch: Obaseki directs provision of free bus services
Obasei on Thursday directed all Edo City Transport Service (ECTS) buses to from Thursday provide free services to passengers to cushion the effect of cash crunch experienced by the people.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media Projects to the Governor, Mr Crusoe Osagie and made available to newsmen in Benin.
Osagie said: “The directive is applicable to all routes and is effective till Monday, Feb. 20, after which further announcement would be made on the matter.
”The government calls on the people to remain calm, be law-abiding and we are assuring that normalcy will be restored shortly.”
Meanwhile, Zuum directed the release of drugs worth N300 million and other medical supplies to government hospitals for free distribution to patients most of whom were facing difficulties in making payments due to scarcity of new and old naira notes.
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof. Mohammed Arab, made this known while unveiling the drugs in Maiduguri.
Arab said that the supplies included drugs for prevalent illnesses, maternal delivery kits and other medical essentials.
The commissioner directed medical directors and principal medical officers of public healthcare centres in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government to prepare procedural papers to receive their allocations for immediate deployment of the drugs and other supplies.
Arab said that the drugs must be given free to patients that have no money at hand or those that have problem in accessing their funds to pay their service.
”Officials will rely on patients to be honest because as Zulum noted. We know some people may have money and still demand free drugs by pretending they have none.
”We cannot refuse trhose in need because of a few dishonest people,” he said.
Arab on behalf of health workers across the state, thanked Zulum for coming to the aid of patients at a critical period, a move which he described as “humane”.
Speaking on behalf of other medical directors, the medical director of the State Specialist Hospital, Dr. BabaShehu Mohammed, appreciated the government’s gesture.
“We feel pained seeing patients unable to pay for diagnoses or buy drugs,” he said.
