The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated two ambulances, over 7,000 bags of grains, cooking oil and other items to the Bauchi state government as part of its palliative measures to assist the government to keep the scourge of COVID-19 at bay.
Presenting the donation on Saturday to the Bauchi state taskforce on lassa fever and COVID-19, the Director, audit of the commission, Alhaji Yarima Gashua, said that the two ambulances that were earlier presented and the food stuffs being presented will no doubt help in the fight against the COVID-19 disease in the state.
“Your Excellency sir, we are here to handover some items as a palliative measures. As you can see, we have two items, hospital equipment, which has already been given to you and now we are giving you other items”, the Director Audit said.
Items donated according to him are, 750 cartons of macaroni, 7,000 of 25kg bags of rice, 500 bags of 25kg maize flour, 1,700 gallons of vegetable oil, 1000 cartons of tomatoes paste, 2,000 packets seasonal cubes, 700 cartons of spaghetti, 750 packets of salt, 700 bags of beans, and 2 ambulances.
The state taskforce Chairman on Lassa fever and COVID-19, Senator Baba Tela while receiving the items on behalf of the Bauchi state government, thanked the commission for the gesture.
“First of all I would like to on behalf of the executive governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed convey our profound and heartfelt thanks to the NEDC for giving us these palliative items”, Baba Tela said.
“We have come a very long way since the establishment of the commission with them and we appreciate what they have been doing not only to Bauchi state but to the north east region”, Baba Tela who is also the deputy governor of the state added.
He recalled that the Bauchi state government has reached an agreement with the commission to establish testing centre for the COVID-19 pandemic in the state as requested by the state government and will be sited at the specialist hospital.
“The Bauchi state government has already identified the building that is going to house the testing centre and has provided the funds for the renovation of the building to the standard of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC) and my understanding is that the NEDC is going to provide the machinery required for the testing and we appreciate that”, Senator Tela explained.
The deputy Governor who disclosed that the state government had recently received protective equipment from the commission listed the items to include,1,800 pieces of personal Protective equipment, 2 ventilators and 1000 pieces of surgical mask.
Others received according to him are, 500 packets of ordinary face masks, 32 thermometers, 4000 packets of hand gloves and 4000 pieces of hand sanitizers which were provided about a month and half ago.
Baba Tela who said that the items received earlier have since been put to use in the cause of the pandemic promised that new palliative items donated today will go a long way in fighting the scourge of the COVID-19 in the state.
While assuring the commission that all the items donated will go down to the people that really need them, the deputy Governor said that the state government is also putting a lot of money in the fight against COVID-19 Pandemic.
“The state government is going to substantially add to the palliative items so that it could reach to nook and crannies of the state”, he said.
