Kolade ADEYEMI, Kano and Mike ODIEGWU, Port Harcourt
THE Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and Chairman Kano State COVID-19 Fund Raising Committee, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, has put the donations so far received and deposited in the state’s Covid-19 support account at N353,909,118.
Prof. Bello made the disclosure at a press briefing on the activities of the 38-man committee in Kano yesterday.
“As of Friday, the total amount collected and deposited at Kano State COVID-19 Support account domiciled at UBA stood at N353,909,118.00 only,” he said.
“It is worth noting that apart from major donations listed above, various amounts (varying from N10 to thousands of naira) are being deposited in the account.”
He said the highest donation came from the Kano State business Mogul, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, who donated N300 million while UBA donated N28.5 million.
Apart from the cash donations, other donations in kind were given by the Lee Group, which donated fumigation materials, biscuits, 21,000 cartons of biscuits and 1,000 cartons of macaroni.
Also, the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Kano State branch, donated 60,051 pieces of eggs while Alhaji Abba Sumaila donated 5,000 sacks of spaghetti.
Other popular donations in kind include Aliko Dangote who donated 600-bed isolation centre facility at Sani Abacha Stadium, while Alhaji Abdulsamad Isyaka Rabiu donated a three-storey building at Court Road to serve as COVID-19 Isolation Centre.
The chairman of the committee said the committee is apolitical and would do its best to reach out to the most vulnerable in the society.
He also described the fight against COVID-19 as a collective fight while calling on the public to comply with experts’ advice in the fight against the pandemic.
He said: “I must also add at this juncture that this committee has nothing to do with politics. You can all attest to this from its composition.
“It is purely an entity borne out of compassion, kindheartedness, sympathy and humanitarian gesture.
“It is aimed at assisting and supporting the weak, the poor, the needy and anybody that could conveniently be termed vulnerable in this trying moment of our history.
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“The fight against COVID-19 is not for governments alone; it is a collective fight, a fight every one of us needs to give helping hand for the good of all of us.”
Wike to residents: expect palliatives soon
In Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike has promised to roll out palliatives to cushion the effects of restrictive measures put in place by his administration to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor in a statewide broadcast, however, insisted that all borders and markets in the state remained closed till further notice.
He urged international oil companies operating in the state to support the government by donating for the containment of the virus.
He said: “Implementation of palliatives to cushion the effect of recent directives on the citizens will soon take effect.
“International oil companies operating in the state should support government by donating towards the containment of the virus.
“Let me sincerely thank all of you for your patience and understanding all these days.
“The sacrifices we are all making have greatly helped us not to record any positive case since the index case was reported.
“As we continue to put in our best as human beings, we expect that the Almighty God will intervene on our behalf and wipe away this plague from our midst.
“May I therefore urge you all to continue to seek the face of God as we earnestly await His divine intervention.
“All borders and markets in the state remain closed.
“Residents of Mgbuosimini-Rumueme in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area are hereby warned to desist from flouting government directive on closure of markets or be prepared to face unpleasant consequences.
“Commercial vehicle operators will soon get appropriate directives on their operations in order to maintain social distancing.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has berated persons, especially members of the opposition criticising Governor Wike’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The outgoing Chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah, in a statement he released in Port Harcourt, described the critics of the governor as political detractors and emissaries of COVID-19 in the state.
Obuah said it was difficult to rationalize the actions of the critics in the face of efforts by the state governor to contain the spread of the virus.
He said the critics were angry that while Lagos, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Edo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Enugu and Ekiti and other states were recording staggering figures in the number of cases of the dreaded virus, Rivers, by the grace of God, had just one index case.
While further describing persons behind what he referred to as unwarranted arm-chair criticism against the governor as unpatriotic, Obuah noted that patriotic-minded persons in the state would rather commend the governor’s assiduous efforts to spur him into more actions.
Obuah explained that the governor imposed three-day curfew along some sections of Port Harcourt to forestall opening of markets and other crowded activities.
He observed that states like Akwa Ibom and others were on lockdown with total restriction of movements.
He said: “It is even more appalling to think that these unpatriotic voices are the same persons who would not keep politics aside and view issues from the perspective of our common interests.
“They are rudely disappointed at the fact that Covid-19 is being curtailed by the proactive steps being taken by the governor.
“For them, Rivers State should be recording more cases to satisfy their evil and political aggrandisement.”
The chairman asked the people of the state to see the COVID-19 pandemic as a common enemy that required collective efforts to defeat.
“This is a period our compassionate nature should prevail and show empathy to the state governor who is having sleepless nights to ensure that Rivers people are safe and free,” Obuah said.
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