PAPDAN urges govt. on funding basic infrastructure

PAPDAN tasks govt. on funding basic infrastructure

Funding
By Stellamaris Ashinze
Lagos, March 30, 2020 (NAN) The Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (PAPDAN) has urged government at all levels to improve the funding of basic infrastructure within the country.
Mr Ifeanyi Akubue, President of PAPDAN, who made the appeal on Monday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that there was need for improvement in the funding of the health sector in the budget.
Akubue said that the funding would make our infrastructures especially health facilities meet international standard.
According to him, the Lagos state government is able to improvise in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic but there is still much to be done so that the country will not be caught unawares again.
”This virus has exposed how unprepared we are as a country with our health facilities not being in order.
”Now nobody is moving out and everyone is being treated within Nigeria, plying the same road and airline.
”With this development, government should be able to improve the infrastructure in the country, roads, health and other aspects,’’ he said.
Also speaking to NAN, Mr Godfrey Nwosu, former President, PAPDAN, said that every country in the world, when they make plans they make plans against tomorrow.
Nwosu said that what was happening in Nigeria had really exposed how unprepared the country was to handle emergency such as the COVID-19.
He suggested that from this moment, government should continue to put a lot of things in place.
According to him, the country has to get back the research institutions and fund them, a lot of funds should go to the health sector in the budget.
Nwosu said that there should also be a policy to keep within the country some of our best hands and there should be adequate encouragement for them.
Nwosu also the National Secretary of Association of Mobile Phone and Allied Products Traders of Nigeria (AMPAT) said that the government would have a lot of challenges after the pandemic.
He said that the pandemic was a big lesson not only to the government but to the people because people would learn to ask the right questions when things were not done the way they should be done.
According to him, things are going to change on the part of the government and they are going to do the right thing.
”The good news that is going to manifest after this is one that Nigerians would be happy with,’’ he said..
NAN reports that the current number of COVID-19 cases so far reported in the country is 111. (NAN)
SKA/OIF/DCU
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Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Donald Ugwu