NOA, COSROPIN launch facemask campaign to stem spread of COVID-19

• Adamawa NLC To Distribute Masks To Workers
• Youth Group Launches Campaign To Deliver 1m Homemade Facemasks

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria (COSROPIN) has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage Nigerians to embrace using facemasks to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in communities.

Director-General, NOA, Garba Abari, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, said the initiative tagged, “protect me, I protect you”, is also aimed at curbing the spread of the virus among older person who are most at risk of the disease. Abari who was represented by the director of enlightenment and mass media, Ruth Ogun, said the NOA hopes to leverage its presence in the 36 states across the federation to educate Nigerians on the importance of wearing a facemask in preventing the spread of COVID-19. President of the coalition, Eze Ajoku, said COSROPIN is deeply concerned with the death of many older persons in Kano State and other parts of the country and urged the President to adopt a local solution by making the wearing of facemask compulsory.

Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adamawa state chapter, Emmanuel Fashe, has said that the union has begun the process of buying facemasks for all workers in the state. Fashe who spoke to journalists yesterday in Yola on why May Day was celebrated quietly, said the pandemic is the main reason the union shelved its plans of celebrating the occasion. Fashe urged the governor to as a matter of emergency, introduce hazard allowance to journalists and health workers working in the state, pointing out that journalists and health workers are at risk of being infected due to the nature of their interaction with the public.

In a bid to deliver one million free home-made facemasks to the most vulnerable before the end of this month and a four-month target of a total of 50 million facemasks by the end of August, a group of Nigerian Youths have come together to launch a campaign tagged Mask4All. The group, which has 250 young tailors as volunteers, will deliver 1,000 facemasks daily and 4,000 masks in four weeks.

During the launch, project manager, Joshua Adeloye said the team has reached out to some friends asking that they share the idea on their social media pages. When asked how they intends to distribute the masks Adeloye said they are recruiting 50,000 Nigerians who will volunteer as Boots-On-Ground agents who will help with the movement of the masks from the tailors to benefitting communities.