Covid-19: We work as a team in Kaduna – Deputy Gov

The burden of running Kaduna State fell on Dr HADIZA SABUWA BALARABE, the Deputy Governor, when Malam NASIR EL-RUFA’I, the State Governor, tested positive to COVID-19 on March 28, 2020. For 25 days, Deputy Governor BALARABE chaired the State Standing Committee on COVID-19, deliberated with health experts and development partners at Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) meetings and sometimes went round the state to enforce the lockdown. In this interview, Dr BALARABE speaks on her experience.

For close to four weeks, you led the Kaduna State Government’s multi-dimensional response to Covid-19 when Governor Nasir El-Rufai was being treated for coronavirus. How was the experience? How did the health team respond to the pandemic?

 I want to extend sincere appreciations to Allah Almighty, for granting our Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, healing, for granting him another opportunity and chance at life. Secondly, I want to extend sincere and heartfelt appreciations to the people of the State, for their prayers to the Governor at that trying period.

I pray for you too that Allah continues to keep you safe.

Back to your question. Our Governor is someone who wants things done and done right. He encourages you to be a better version of yourself.

With this at the back of my mind, and even though I had so many emotions and thoughts running through my head and mind as to how I will cope, including the fact that I knew the work would be daunting and extremely demanding, I knew I didn’t have time the time for self pity.

There was work to be done and I had to do it; so I garnered the strength, encouraged myself, made up my mind and just stepped in to do the needful. It wasn’t about me being perfect or right but to have the right kind of mindset, respect for opinions while being firm and amenable to superior reasoning. Secondly, with the Oath of Office dangling in my face, I had no choice but to do the best that I can, given the situation.

Everyone knows that the Covid 19 pandemic came with its own peculiarities and a lot of uncertainties; very often, there is always new information about the disease. Aside that, there were gloomy stories of hopelessness in so many places, and to be frank all these added to the fear and apprehension that I felt at the beginning. But again, as I said, I had a responsibility to discharge, in the absence of our leader. So, I had to step up and be that leader.

The members of the State Standing Committee on Covid 19 have been very supportive, open and receptive to my being there, leading the team. I really and truly appreciate everyone of them. We had our work cut out for us and the first and most important that came to mind was to ensure that our people were protected from the ontoward effects of Covid 19, even in the face of all the uncertainties and limitations as well as challenges. The experience in chairing and coordinating the activities of the Task Force and the various Committees though tasking, has been worthwhile and I thank Allah for every day and every opportunity to make this modest contribution towards saving lives of the people of our great state.

We took a decision to hold our daily meetings virtually, through video conferencing, because we didn’t want to leave a vacuum because of the limitations Covid 19 has imposed on physical meetings, especially maintaining social and physical distance. We had a task to do and we are not relenting, the lives of many depended on our decisions and these decisions had to be taken, no matter what.

I believe that every decision that the State Standing Committee on Covid 19 has taken so far, has been in the overall interest and greater good of the residents of the State.

It is my solemn vow, that we will continue to do our best, the very best, to surmount challenges and chart better and sustainable ways of keeping the virus at bay.

I know there have been some dissenting voices about the quarantine order and lockdown imposed in the State. Unpleasant as this lockdown order might seem to people, as I had said earlier, that decision is in the collective and overall interest of everyone. Together, I believe, we can conquer this pandemic and overcome.

The Health Sector response which is being led by Dr Amina Mohammed Baloni, the Commissioner of Health, whose efforts have been amazing. The State couldn’t have asked for a better Team. So, I want to use this opportunity to extend sincere appreciations to every member of the Health Team and pray that Allah in his magnanimity will reward their efforts.

The Emergency Operations Committee chaired by the Honorable Commissioner of Health (which I’m a member), comprised personnel with knowledge, competence and vast experience, drawn from the State Ministry of Health, relevant Agencies of the State, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and the Teaching Hospital, our very own Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and Health partners in the State. We all worked together to coordinate the health response in the state.

The Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) is also being supported by a team from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The EOC, just as with the State Standing Committee (SSC) on Covid 19, meets daily to review what has been done, deliberate on new findings and ideas and also share experiences and information from other states and countries about Covid 19, all in an effort to further strengthen the health response in the state.

The EOC operates under different pillars and I’m proud to say that every member has been outstanding, the frontline workers especially so.

The EOC has been instrumental in getting the two testing centers we now have in the state, which have been validated by the NCDC. The state is in the process of getting a third testing center so that we can quickly ramp up testing within communities, if other requisite add-ons are made readily available.

The Risk Communication Pillar of the EOC, in collaboration with the Media and Communication Team of State Standing Committee on Covid 19, has been in the forefront of getting messages out to people, to keep everyone better informed to take responsibility for his or her health, that of the family and community at large.

Emphasis has been laid on best practices like regular hand washing with soap and water or when that is not readily available, the use of hand sanitizers; physical distancing, respiratory hygiene and avoidance of gatherings etc. The EOC is also ensuring that other services critical to overall health, wellbeing and survival of our people do not suffer neglect as a result of the pandemic.

There are still pillars that are in charge of Infection Prevention and Control, Surveillance, including Contact Tracing, and Research. Everyone has been phenomenal, they have shown dedication and an unparalleled sense of commitment.

Going forward, we are studying scenarios, learning from experiences of others so that we can fashion out a post-lockdown agenda for the state. A committee of Senior Government Officials is working on that. We want to be able to go back to safe normality but even then, a lot of what can be achieved will be heavily dependent on orientation, behavior change and whether people are voluntarily able to respect and obey basic rules that have been laid down to safeguard lives.

Kaduna State Government has started to reinforce the stoppage of inter-city commuting, by physically barricading all entry points. Some critics are questioning the legality of a state government blocking federal roads to enforce its lockdown. What have you to say about that?

The decision is anchored on the constitution. I’m certain that those criticizing the decision are of the view that it violated the constitutional right to freedom of movement within Nigeria, guaranteed under section 41 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

However, they fail to see that this same right is not sacrosanct and that it can be derogated upon under section 45 (1) (a) of the same Constitution, where a law is made in the interest of public health, among others. As a Government, we went ahead to enforce that, having sought for legal interpretation. The feedback affirmed the constitutionality of doing that.

You would recall that the Kaduna State Quarantine Order, 2020 which contains the restriction of movement, was made pursuant to section 45 (1) (a) of the Constitution, the Quarantine Act, and the Public Health Act. Therefore, I don’t believe that this action by the State Government is out of order. There are certain exemptions that have been laid out in the order and we respect those.

I also want to draw the attention of people to the fact that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, upheld the ban on non essential interstate passenger travels until further notice in his last broadcast on 27th April, 2020.

It will be foolhardy of us as a Government to just turn a blind eye to what is happening with regards to interstate travel.

Recall that apart from the first five cases that we established their connection, the last few cases that have been recorded are people with history of Interstate travel or people who had contact with such individuals. We are resolute in our commitment to protecting our people and we will do all that it takes to do that.

At the last State Executive Council meeting, there was a resolution on what was referred to as ‘’Governance Continuation Plan’’. What is the plan all about?

We all must understand that we are in extraordinary and uncertain times. The lock-down is not only a health issue but also has socio-economic implications. It is not only individuals that are suffering but I must say that activities of Government have been stalled at all levels.

All public servants have not been at work since the lock-down, except those that are providing essential service. Against the backdrop of all these, the state deliberated on a Governance Continuation Plan, which is intended to create a window whereby, despite the lock-down, gaps in governance are bridged.

The Plan will ensure that the State Government continues to serve its people effectively and also delivers on its priorities even in these uncertain times. Our intention is that the plan can also be activated in the event that similar situations arise in the future.

As detailed out in the plan, statutory meetings of the State Executive Council, the Policy Councils, including its Strategic Areas and management meetings of Ministries Departments and Agencies(MDAs) are to be convened and conducted virtually through video conferencing.

The plan also has as its main thrust, revised Terms of References for the different Councils in line with current realities.

Also, more importantly, soft copies of memoranda and other documents that require urgent attention or approvals, can be transmitted or dealt with via the internet. We want to ensure that governance does not suffer; and that government continues to serve the citizens irrespective of the situation we might find ourselves.

The five Policy Councils have resumed their weekly meetings and you chair two of them: the Human Capital Development Council and Procurement Council. What are the main objectives of the Human Capital Development Council?

It is true that there are five Policy Councils established by the Kaduna State Executive Council. The creation of these Policy Councils is intended to cover critical sectors of our economic policies.

The Policy Councils are Sub-Councils of the State Executive Council with delegated powers vested in them in line with their respective terms of reference. These Councils are, the Human Capital Development Council, Economic Development Council, Infrastructural Development Council, Procurement Monitoring Council, and Institutional Development Council.

It is also true that I chair both the Human Capital Development Council and the Procurement Monitoring Council.

You will agree that Human Capital is central to governance and development. If you remove the human being, there will be no governance and development. This underscores the need for government to put in place a special and sustainable policy and plan for its development.

Therefore, the main objective of the Human Capital Development Council is to work out, for implementation, policies and plans for the harnessing the development of the potentials inherent in the citizens of the State, so that they can be useful and productive not only to themselves and families, but also to the society at large.

Critical areas for Human Capital Development as has been identified, includes health and education. Here in Kaduna State, we have realized that we need to include other areas that are critical to these two major parameters. This explains why we added skills and talent identification, sports development, availability of essential drugs, mental health and social development as part of Human Capital.

The policy thrust of the Council is that with good health, education and skills, the citizens of the State will develop their potentials, develop themselves and become productive. Our vision for human capital for Kaduna State is a state that is prosperous, with people who are healthy, knowledgeable and educated and have decent standard of living in the near future.

The Council has developed interventions to address areas that have been adjudged critical to achieving our mandate. We will continue to do what we think is best for the people of Kaduna State. Developing human capital is the panacea to growth and development.

Is the work of the Procurement Monitoring Council not a bit overwhelming for a few council members?

One of the major reasons why the Councils were constituted was to break this silo mentality which has been the bane of operations of the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Before then, information and experiences were not being shared amongst MDAs even those with mandates that are cross cutting.

The Councils are not different. We share experiences, information and sometimes do joint monitoring. So, in line with that, I will beg to differ that the work of the Procurement Monitoring Council is a bit overwhelming for the members because you think they are few.

I have always believed in the adage, ‘’it is not how much, but how well.’’ The Council’s terms of reference is to approve all procurements and expenditure above the threshold of a N100 million; and to develop a procurement plan for the State. These terms of reference do not require a large number of Council members to deal with. All that is needed is a few good and capable members that can deliver. And the Council comprises such members.

With the uncertainties around Covid-19 and the Governance Continuation Plan, the Terms Of Reference has further been revised and the most of what we will be doing, will be in strict collaboration the Infrastructure Council, because we will now be dwelling on monitoring of Projects that are being executed.

I must say that working with the members of the PMC has been very productive and wonderful. Each of them is adding value to the Council and I appreciate them individually and collectively.

In addition, we set up the Resource Mobilization Committee to assist solicit for donations from good spirited and kindhearted individuals and corporate organizations so as to provide palliatives to the poor and vulnerable affected by the lock-down order.

There is also the Kaduna State COVID-19 Relief Materials Monitoring Committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government. The mandate of this Committee is to ensure that the palliatives provided by the State Government reach the poor and vulnerable during the lock-down period.

Apart from coordinating all these, we had to ensure that the test, isolation and quarantine centers are on ground. We did security monitoring to make sure that people complied with the lock-down order. For instance, we had to establish mobile courts to summarily try and punish offenders who violate the lock-down order.

We had to also ensure that other critical sectors of the economy do not suffer as a result of the pandemic. For instance, Ministry of Education had to resort to e-learning to ensure that students in our primary, secondary and tertiary institutions get their lessons, lectures and assignments while at home during the lock-down period. The Ministry of Education is using the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Kaduna State Media Corporation (both radio and television), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria(FRCN), Vision FM, Karama Radio, and Salama Radio for the e-learning. Ministry of Agriculture had to work out a plan for food sufficiency and security; best agricultural practice in line with the current realities; ensuring manufacturers sell their goods and produce at affordable market prices without taking advantage of the pandemic to hike prices.