Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi has inaugurated the distribution of assorted food items and relief materials to 38,047 households in the state.
The food items distributed include pasta, rice, refined salt, sugar, sphagetti, flour and noodles.
Bagudu, represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Sama’ila Dabai, said that a total of 45 trucks of the food items were supplied to the state.
He said that modalities had effectively been mapped out to ensure even distribution of the materials to all the 225 political wards of the state.
Bagudu assured of justice and equity in the distribution of the items, through the 21 local government councils chairmen.
He was optimistic that the gesture would significantly alleviate the sufferings occasioned by the negative tolls of COVID-19 pandemic.
“All the intended beneficiaries will receive the materials as scheduled and nobody will be omitted.
“However, I must still warn that, officials involved in the distribution should be God fearing and honest in the discharge of the assignment,” he said.
Also speaking, Sulaiman Argungun, Chief of Staff, Government House, who is also the state Coordinator, COVID-19 Food Relief Programme, said that top officials of the state government and CACOVID would monitor the actual distribution of the food items across the state.
Argungu, said the measure was to ensure that the exercise was done according to plans while appropriate sanction awaits anybody who flouted the directives.
The State COVID -19 Task Force Chairman, and the Commissioner for Health, Jafar Mohammed, said the state had so far recorded 90 COVID -19 confirmed positive cases, out of the 648 suspected cases investigated.
“Out of the number, 83 persons have been treated and discharged.
”The pandemic has so far claimed seven lives, while there is no pending positive case in any of the isolation centres in the state,” he said.
Also, the Representative of CACOVID,Umar Muhammed, said the Coalition is a joint initiative of leading private sector leaders and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) launched to galvanize urgent support in the fight against COVID -19 in the country.
“Today, the fight for survival has become a necessity, and it is not just the responsibility of the government, it is our collective responsibility and we must all join the fight to stay alive.
“So far CACOVID in collaboration with state governments have inagurated 38 isolation centers across the 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) as well as improved the testing capacity of the NCDC with the donation of over 100,000 test kits and various PPEs,” he said.
He said the Food Relief Programme, which had started would cover 1.6 million families.
“We are doing this to help the most vulnerable households that have been affected by the coronvirus,” Mohammed said.
He thanked Bagudu for assisting the CACOVID team in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
