Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje has called on the federal government to help Kano with funds and facilities to curb the menace of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Ganduje, who made the plea when he received the Director-General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu at Government House on Tuesday, said the state had not received any donation from the federal government.
The governor said although the state did not record any case outside its metropolis, however, by the time the state witness community transmission of the disease, it is going to be a herculean task for his government to contain the situation, hence the need to get prepared.
“So far, we do not have any serious case in the state, however, we need to get prepared. We need additional testing center in the state, we need vehicles and protection kits, we need coordination, we need rapid responses and we need palliative.
“Kano is the third on the list of states with a high number of COVID-19 cases and is the most populated state in the federation. We, therefore, need financial support from the federal government,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Ihekweazu said they were in Kano to show support to the government in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
He appreciated the efforts being made by Kano state government in curbing the menace of COVID-19 in the state, noting that “for someone to succeed in the fight against COVID-19, one must have a strong team and from what I saw, no state in the whole federal has a stronger team than that of Kano.”
The director-general said the rising cases of COVID-19 in Kano was not unexpected considering its population.
He, however, assured that the federal and state governments have a collective responsibility to contain the situation.
He promised that the NCDC will do everything possible to assist the state to overcome its challenges.
