COVID-19: Reps donate two months’ salary to support fight against pandemic

The House of Representatives have drummed support for the ongoing fight against coronavirus pandemic with members of the lower legislative chamber donating their salaries for March and April respectively.

Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, made this known in a video message shared on Tuesday.

According to him, the donation would however, be independent of the individual contributions the lawmakers may decide to make.

Gbajabiamila explained that the money was to help lessen the economic burden of the pandemic in the various constituents across the country.

His words: “We have in the house of representatives jointly committed to contributing one hundred per cent (100%) of our salaries for the next two months to the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria.

“Starting from March salary, the lawmakers’ donation will be transferred directly to the National Relief Fund account for the fight against COVID-19.

“Our contribution will support provisions for the welfare of front-line medical professionals and health workers, and other interventions to provide for the well-being of all Nigerians through these trying times.

“Accordingly, I have directed the clerk to the national assembly to see to it that all members’ salaries are transferred to the national relief fund for this month and the next.

“This crisis has exposed in the worst possible way the evident weaknesses of our health system.

“After this is over and moving forward, we must do everything in our power to ensure that we will never again come upon a moment such as this, as ill-equipped as we are now.”

The move comes hours after the Senate also announced similar measure with members of the upper legislative chamber donating fifty percent of their salaries to support fight against the novel disease.

Nigeria presently has 135 confirmed cases of the killer virus.