Covid-19: Niger sets aside N400m for palliatives, releases N74m

…UBA donates N28.5m as China offers medical facilities worth N6m

As part of efforts to tackle the ravaging coronavirus, the Niger state government has approved N400 million to provide palliatives to cushion the hardship resulting from the lockdown of the state.

This and other measures taken by government to curb the spread of the virus, was revealed by the Chairman of the state taskforce on Covid-19, Ahmed Matane.

Matane, who is also the secretary to the state government disclosed this when he briefed the press on the activities of the task force in Minna on Tuesday night.

He explained that N300m of the amount will be used for palliatives for the people suffering from the lockdown of the state, especially the vulnerable members of society.

“Government has already released N74m to the state Ministry of Health and Hospital Services for the procurement of medical facilities necessary in handling COVID-19 cases while 12 isolation centres have also been created across the eight emirate councils of the state,” the SSG stated.

READ ALSO: Labour rejects 75 % salary for Nasarawa LG workers

He said government has procured two more ventilators to beef up the total number in the state to 11 including sanitizers, face masks, examination cloves and oxygen concentrator and oxygen

Matane announced a donation of N28.5m by UBA to the state COVID-19 appeal fund, adding that “the government of the Peoples Republic of China donated items to help curb the spread of coronavirus in the state worth six million naira.

“This include examination hand cloves, sodium hypochlorite, infrared thermometer among others,” he added.

On the palliatives, the chairman said that food items including garri, rice, beans and millet will be procured and distributed throughout the 274 political wards of the state.

He said: “Government will ensure that the food items are not hijacked by few individuals. We are aware that everybody is affected by the situation, but we are focusing on the less privileged and vulnerable persons.

“We are therefore, going to ensure effective distribution of whatever is available to the people at the rural communities and this is the reason for using the wards as contact points.”