Governor Kayode Fayemi has set up a 47-member panel of eminent citizens of Ekiti State, including three former governors, to help mobilise resources to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Panel, which is officially known as Ekiti State COVID-19 Response Resource Mobilisation Committee, has the former Minister of Health and Chairman, Juli Pharmacy, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, as Chairman.
The Founder/Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, will serve as the Grand Patron, while three former governors of the state were named as Patrons.
The three former governors to serve as Patrons are Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Chief Segun Oni and Chief Ayodele Fayose.
The Committee has as members captains of industry, distinguished private sector players, renowned professionals and prominent members of Ekiti in the Diaspora.
The list include Chairman, Standard Chartered Bank, Sir Remi Omotoso; former Chairman, United African Company (UAC), Mr. Ayo Ajayi; Principal Partner, Aluko and Oyebode & Co, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode; CEO of Ecobank International, Mr. Ade Ayeyemi; Chairman, Boyage Oil and Gas, Otunba Olutoye Ariyo; President, Nigeria-American Chamber of Commerce, Otunba Toyin Akomolafe; a former President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Senator Ayo Arise.
Others include renowned Oncologist and Director, Global Medicine, University of Chicago, USA, Prof Funmi Falusi-Olopade; Vice President, International Affairs, Kings’ College, London, Prof Funmi Olonisakin; former Executive Secretary, NHIS, Dr Femi Thomas; human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN); Managing Director, Luk Oil Nigeria Ltd, Mr Kunle Gidado, CEO Agro Innovate, Mrs Foluso Olaniyan and former NBA National Secretary, Mr Dele Adesina (SAN).
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Development Partnerships, Mrs Margaret Fagboyo, is the secretary to the committee.
According to a statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Biodun Oyebanji, the committee’s mandate, among others, is to mobilise and advise on funds and project management, direct funding campaigns for the Covid-19 response.
He said the state government would do everything humanly possible to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state, while assuring the citizens of Fayemi-led administration’s commitment to accountability and transparency in the management of resources mobilised.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday, introduced more palliative scheme for vulnerable residents who might be affected by the ongoing 14-day lockdown directive imposed by the Federal Government in the State.
For the duration of the lockdown, the State Government will be offsetting the medical bills of any patient admitted into the State-owned secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, Sanwo-Olu announced in a briefing after the State’s Security Council meeting held at the State House in Marina.
The new palliative scheme, Sanwo-Olu said, will cover the medical equipment expenses of pregnant women on maternity delivery and other categories of patients in emergency, casualty cases, laboratory testing and surgeries.
Also, the Governor said the cost of any medication bought at the State-owned secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities will be borne by the Government during the period of lockdown.
The move, Sanwo-Olu said, is to ameliorate the difficulties that may be experienced by the those whose wellbeing may have affected by the ongoing restrictions initiated to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the State.
Lagos is worst hit of the three states currently locked down by the Federal Government. Others are Ogun State and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Sanwo-Olu said measures had been put in place to ensure the scheme was not compromised, adding that the palliative would make great impact on those in need of medical attention in the period of lockdown.
He said: “Lagos State Government will, for the duration of the restriction on movement, be taking full responsibility for the medical bills of all patients who fall in the following categories at all Lagos State-owned secondary healthcare facilities.
“The first category have patients in emergency, casualty cases, including registration, laboratory tests, surgeries, and drugs. Those in the second category are maternity cases. We will be the full cost of pregnant women on normal delivery and Caesarean sections in our hospital in this period of lockdown.
“What this new scheme means is that, at this time, patients with the listed medical conditions will need not to pay to access treatment and care in all our 27 General Hospitals across the State.”
The Governor said State had started to review the process of distribution of food stimulus package, which was introduced at the beginning of the restriction, admitting that the programme had made positive difference in the lives of the intended beneficiaries.
He, however, pointed out that there was ongoing appraisal of the social intervention programme, which, he said, was necessitated by pockets of irregularities observed in its implementation.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the restrictive measures had started to pay off, stressing that lockdown had afforded the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to keep up and make appropriate progress in tracing of contacts.
“The restrictions have started paying off; the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has told us that they have been able to take advantage of the absence of traffic on our roads to make appreciable progress in their contact tracing,” the Governor said.
He said all patients in the state’s isolation centres were doing well and recovering faster despite the surge in Covid-19 case in Lagos. A patient, Sanwo-Olu said, was discharged on Saturday afternoon, making it 24 COVID-19 patients treated and released by the State.
Sanwo-Olu reiterated his administration’s commitment to security of residents’ lives and property, warning hoodlums who may want to take the advantage of the ongoing restriction of movement to rob.
The governor ordered 24-hour security surveillance across residential areas and asked the police to dislodge hoodlums in various spots across the state.
He also said more measures would be introduced to ensure the lockdown remain effective.
On whether there would be extension of the lockdown, Sanwo-Olu said: “We are in the period of national emergency and the ongoing restriction was declared by the President. If there’s need for an extension, the Federal authorities will decide that based on the outcome of the ongoing measures.”
In Egypt, the popular Sawiris family announced in a statement on Saturday a donation of 100 million Egyptian pounds (about $6.3 million) to back the country’s efforts in combating the spread of COVID-19.
Sawiris Foundation for Social Development will allocate 40 million pounds to support the daily labours and most distressed families, and 60 million pounds to support the government’s precautionary efforts against the novel coronavirus, said the statement.
It added that the foundation cooperates with the Egyptian Ministries of Health and Social Solidarity as well as some social organisations “to contribute to meeting the health and economic needs of the Egyptian people at such unprecedented times’’.
Egyptian business tycoon, Naguib Sawiris, has been criticised over the past couple of days for his remarks where he expressed impatience and dissatisfaction with the partial lockdown the country is going through’
He urges that everyday life should come back to normal.
Until Friday night, Egypt has confirmed 985 cases infected with the novel coronavirus, including 66 deaths and 216 recoveries.
Over the past few weeks, the country has temporarily suspended schools, universities and all classes, halted flights, cancelled sports activities, closed entertainment places, stopped mass prayers in mosques and churches and shut down museums and archaeological sites over coronavirus worries.
The country started on March 25, a two-week partial curfew nationwide from early evening to early morning, as an essential part of the anti-COVID-19 precautionary measures.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has directed its members nationwide to provide assistance to vulnerable Nigerians in their neighborhoods to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The party gave the directive in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan on Saturday in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan also appealed to more wealthy Nigerians to join in extending assistance to vulnerable citizens in the overall effort to contain and check the spread of the pandemic in the country.
He said that the party’s call was in line with its manifesto and guiding principles to ensure the security, wellbeing and happiness of all citizens, irrespective of creed, ethnicity and political persuasion.
The PDP scribe also appealed to Nigerians to look beyond primordial considerations and join forces to defeat the virus.
“The party, therefore, urges Nigerians to use this time to further display their spirit of brotherly care by assisting vulnerable persons around them.
“This include, particularly the aged, the unemployed, as well as individuals and families whose means of livelihood had been crippled following the restriction directives.”
Ologbondiyan urged the Federal Government to be transparent and involve more capable Nigerian medical experts, researchers as well as equipment manufacturers to assist in checking the spread of the pandemic in the country.
“The party counsels the Federal Government to bring in the hands used in winning the battle against the Ebola virus disease.
“Government should commission indigenous manufacturers, especially auto and equipment producers, to concert effort towards production of ventilators and other equipment needed in the fight against the coronavirus,” he said.
Ologbondiyan reiterated the party’s earlier commendation to the organised private sector for donations “following our call for intervention.”
He also commended the health care providers and several other frontline workers, who had been risking their lives to safeguard the nation.
Ologbondiyan, however, called on all Nigerians to continue to pray while “observing health safety directives as we collectively defeat this pandemic.”
In Oyo State, the state government has concluded arrangements to fumigate markets spread across the state.
Prof. Temitope Alonge, Acting Chairman of the state COVID-19 Task Force, said in a statement that the exact date of the exercise would be communicated through the heads of markets.
According to him, the decontamination would be carried out using experts from the University of Ibadan (UI).
Alonge revealed that Oyo State had recorded another positive case of COVID-19, bringing the total number of positive cases in the state to nine.
He said that the confirmed latest case was a close contact of the second confirmed case who subsequently developed symptoms.
“The patient has been moved to one of the isolation centres in the state.
“While activities at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) are being ramped up and reviewed to meet the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the index case in the state already discharged, the other seven cases remain stable,” Prof. Alonge said.
The acting chairman also said that the diagnostic centre at University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan commenced full and timely testing of samples, “while it is committed to a turnaround time of less than 24 hours to provide results for samples taken.”
He further stated that the state government had received donations amounting to N125 million in cash and some other kind donations to roll out as palliatives to residents of the state within a short time.
“The Ministry of Special Duties and Women Affairs and Social Inclusion are working out the modalities for the distribution of the palliatives in a way that would ensure the people who are really in need are directly reached.” Alonge stated.
