…Waives tenants rent in Lagos and Edo States as contribution to the fight
Although the Federal Government and Lagos State Government are yet to announce specific payments of funds to the citizens to help in their sustenance while staying at home, a Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Abdulahi Tony Dania has commended them particularly the latter, for all the efforts made so far in curtailing the spread of coronavirus.
“I thank members of the medical team who have continually risked their lives to save lives. I also thank the donors of billions of Naira in cash and kind to the Federal and Lagos State Governments to augment logistics in the fight against the pandemic,” he said.
The Legal Practitioner with just five juniors and six staffs (including two security men) also pleaded with the governments, all landlords/landladies, banks and other financial institutions that granted loans that are subsisting, owners of schools (including universities), private and public, telephone services operators, cable and internet services providers, public utility services operators like Water Corp, LAWMA and IKEDC should grant waivers of rents, suspension of the payment of interest on loans, payment for services, cable TV, data, electricity bills, etc, without interrupting the enjoyment of those services, for at least three months, starting from 1st of April 2020 and terminating on 1st of July 2020.
“I want to start with myself and assist within the limits of my ability. All my tenants at Apapa, Jakande Estate Oke. Afa, Isolo and Solape in Ejigbo, Lagos State, and those in South Ibie Iyakpi, in Etsako West, Edo State, have been and are hereby requested not to pay any rent to me or my Agents, within the period,” he said.
While implementing the above, Chief Dania urged the FG to re-organise the supplies of foods or cash to indigent citizens and residents, because the current arrangement where people come to designated centers, is encouraging crowded gatherings with its attendant risks of the spread of coronavirus.
He argued: “Every street and estate has EXCO; we have Obas, Bales, Olori-ebis, Eze Ndigbo, Seriki Hausa, in every main Town in Lagos State, and in Nigeria. In every State we have a CP, Area commands, DPOs, NURTW, Presidents of various unions, Chief Imams, General Over-seers, Pastors, etc. You would have used them to convince the populace to voluntarily comply with all the restrictive directives and recommended safety measures. The riots in Katsina last Jumat and in Warri could have been avoided. They can also be used to distribute foods and other items to indigent persons among them.
“The use of force, as it is currently being done or violent assaults against violators of the restrictive order, might cause avoidable communal reaction, as it happened in Warri. Most Nigerians are hungry and angry. Those aforementioned persons could have easily reached their neighbours to educate and persuade them. There would have been an almost 100% compliance.
“The absence of electricity in majority of homes is a very big problem. Almost everybody is using generator and. 70% of available generators use petrol. The N2 further reduction in the price per litre of petrol is good, but it is insignificant. The FG should reduce the price to N75 per litre for just 30 days – 1st of April to 1st of May. Government can restore it to the normal price after 30 days. Do this and you shall know by popular reactions, how appreciative Nigerians can be.”
The legal practitioner said the fight against coronavirus is a battle we must win. Thus, he enjoined the Local Governments to be proactive, urging them to use the same persons mentioned above to sustain the stay at home directive and to also identify those who might have the disease without stigmatizing them.
Finally, Chief Dania said that while we wait for our scientists to come up with a vaccine or cure for the coronavirus, Nigerians should encourage her herbal medicine doctors to research on a possible cure. “You never can tell, we might find a ‘Nigerian cure’ for it,” he said.
