Nasarawa spends N500.15m in fighting COVID-19

The Nasarawa State Government says it has so far spent N536,156,000 in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Mr Emmanuel Akabe, Deputy Governor of the state and Chairman of the state COVID-19 Task Force, made the disclosure on Thursday in Lafia, while updating newsmen on the activities of the committee.

Akabe explained that the money was spent on buying palliatives, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), security, fumigation of places, sensitisation and setting up of isolation centres, among others.

He said that the committee released the money through the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) involved in tackling the virus.

The deputy governor gave the breakdown of the released funds to the MDAs as follows: Ministry of Health, N253, 890, 000; Ministry of Information, N3, 530, 000; Dalhatu Specialist Hospital, Lafia N3, 530, 000.

Other fund releases were: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, N134, 350, 000; Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, N21, 8000; and Secretariat of the state COVID-19 committee, N1, 850, 000.

Further releases were: Ministry of Justice, N74, 981,000; Head of Service, N3 million; state Sustainable Development Goals office, N32, 288, 000; and Bureau for Information and Communication Technology, N1,270, 000.

The remaining were: Chairman of Karu Local Area, N4.5 and Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Areas respectively.

He also said that the government received donations from individuals, groups and corporate organisations, totalling N94 million.

“Gov. Abdullahi Sule made a personal donation of N10 million; United Bank for Africa (UBA), N28, 500,000; Kinston Bank, N10 million; Aldo Homes Limited, N12 million; Kenyan Mining Group, N3 million; and Umar Akwe-Doma, N250, 000.

“Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, N2 million; House of Representative members from the state, N3 million; Access Bank, N20 million; and Fidelity Bank, N5 million, among others,” the deputy governor added.

He also expressed worry over the increasing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state despite the efforts by government to curtail the spread of the virus.

Akabe explained that of the over 1400 samples taken from the state, 200 results were confirmed positive, with Karu Local Government Area leading with over 70 confirmed cases.

He advised the people to continue to adhere strictly to safety measures of maintaining physical distancing, using face masks, washing hands under running water and using hand sanitiser, among others.

The deputy governor, however, assured the people that the state government would continue to prioritise their welfare, security and health, in line with its campaign promises.