The Sokoto State Government has resolved to eliminate malaria and other agents of COVID-19 with a statewide fumigation exercise.
The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in charge of the State Malaria Elimination Agency (SOSMES), Alhaji Abubakar Danlawan, made this known while inaugurating the central facilitating committee for the 2020 fumigation in the state.
Alhaji Danlawan said Gov. Tambuwal was concerned about some of the symptoms in patients of COVID-19, especially severe malaria, and as such resolved to do something urgently about it.
H said, “He (Tambuwal) believes to succeed in fighting this dreaded disease. The state must wage a war against its agents which include malaria.”
According to Danlawan, the governor had approved N113m for the fumigation exercise which would simultaneously take place in all the 23 local government areas.
Danlawan added that over 3,000 ad hoc staff would be engaged to carry out the exercise.
The money according to him, would be used in buying chemicals, providing logistics and in paying allowances.
The special adviser also said the governor had approved the N509m as counterpart fund for 2020.
“Our partners like the Malaria Consortium and Presidential Malaria Initiative would spend the sum of N8.1bn this year and the money would be used mostly for the provision of drugs and treated nets which would be given free to patients and residents of the state,” he said
Also speaking, the Director General of the agency, Muslim Gobir, said the exercise would be the first of its kind and that it was necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Gobir, the committee would review the existing fumigation plan and previous fumigation exercises and advise the agency on when and how best to conduct the exercise, among other recommendations.
Dailytrust.com.ng
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