Federal Government says funds donated by the private sector towards fighting coronavirus are meant for development of healthcare infrastructure and cannot be used to provide palliatives during lockdown.

Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, said this yesterday when he featured on a Radio Nigeria programme, “Politics Nationwide”.

He was responding to comments from Nigerians requesting that part of the billions of naira being donated by public-spirited individuals and private institutions should be shared to the people to cushion the effect of the extended lockdown.

The minister said the Presidential Task Force for the Control of Coronavirus was neither with the money nor in control of it, and could not share a penny from the fund to anyone.

“The private sector donors are not giving any cash to the federal government and they’ve made this clear to the people.

“They said they’ll support the fight against the pandemic by asking government where they want healthcare infrastructure to be provided.

“What government has done is to request them to build a 30-bed isolation ward  and a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit in each state in the country.

“In addition, the federal government has given them a list of equipment and commodities that will also be needed

“Therefore, the issue of using their donations to provide palliative cannot arise,” he said.

NAN