By Danmaryam Zayamu
On the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 visited Kano State today and and met with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The PTF delegation, led by its Coordinator, Dr. Nasiru Sani Gwarzo, was received at the Africa House, Government House, Kano.
Gwarzo told the Governor that “President Muhammadu Buhari gave us marching order to be in Kano and find out what the State needs for containing the COVID-19 pandemic.
“President said we must do everything possible to support, reinforce and mobilize support even beyond the nation.
“On the Special Committee sent to Kano to work with the state government are experts in public health and other areas.”
On the special committee there were Abdussalam Nasidi, the pioneer Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), who is a Professor of infectious diseases, and now the Special Adviser to the Health Minister on COVID-19 to Kano; Dr. Bimpe Adebiyi, who heads Department of Health Services at the federal Ministry of Health, among others.
Gwarzo assured Ganduje that the delegation was not in Kano to re-invent the wheel “but we are reinforcing the wheel. We are here to support Kano team in achieving the needs that are necessary for containing the global pandemic.”
In his response, Ganduje thanked President Buhari for coming to the aid of the state, noting that “at this critical time, he takes the right step and there is no doubt about this. Your coming to Kano will let you know the areas that we need all the necessary intervention.”
He reiterated his call for more testing centres in the state, saying that, “testing centre is the nucleus of the fight against COVID-19. It is just like a heart in our body. We have to give you full cooperation. This is what we have been looking for.
“We need more testing centres in the State; and the extension of Isolation Centres is absolutely necessary because there is this fear of community transmission and we need more sample collection areas. In all the 44 local governments we must have multiple collection centres.”
Ganduje requested for the provision of more Personal Protection Equipments (PPEs) and that life insurance is absolutely necessary.
“We are also providing palliatives to our health workers, they also have families, who must also be supported.
“We also need optimum supply of all supplies to the state. We will work together day and night. After going round with you, we will come and see where we have gaps”, he stated.
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