COVID-19: Over 200,000 households get palliatives donated by CACOVID in Bauchi

Relief items Bauchi — During the launching of relief items donated by CACOVID in Bauchi on Tuesday

ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi

Over 200,000 households across the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State are to benefit from palliatives donated by the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to cushion the effect of the pandemic in the state.

Bauchi state Governor, Bala Mohammed, who launched the distribution at an event which took place at the Bauchi State Agricultural Programme, on Tuesday, said that the state government earlier constituted a palliative Commitee under the chairmanship of Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, charged with the responsibility of sourcing assistance in kind and cash to citizens who are groaning under the intense hardship arising from the negative consequences of COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that the commitee was also mandated to distribute all sourced palliative materials, which include money and other items, fairly and equitably to all the affected citizens of the state.

Some of the relief items donated by the Coalition Against COVID-19 recently

According to him, the commitee swang into action by making wide ranging consultations to public sprites individuals, cooperate organizations, chairmen of business conglomerates as well as Federal government and other agencies.

Mohammed said that the distribution of relief materials is very a significant milestone in the government modest effort in bringing succour and solace to the citizens who are victims of COVID-19, explaining that the commitee has decided a sharing formula, tagged “The food basket”, where a household is entitled to one food basket.

He said: “One food basket contains the following rice 10kg, maize and flour 10kg, millet 5kg, sugar 2kg, spaghetti 1kg, vegetable and palm oil 2 litres.

“However, we are still facing the challenge of finance on one hand and high expectation to deliver on the other hand, we therefore have to be creative in not only managing our scare resources, but reaching out in way of partnership to institutions whose mandate provides window for us to follow orate and achieve meaningful results in dealing with our perculiar situation.

“You will recall that during the total lockdown which affected three local government areas namely Katagum, Giade and Zaki, a total of 7,000 households in Katagum, 4,000 in Giade, 15,000 in Zaki had benefited from the distribution.

“Today, we are extending the gesture to all the 20 LGAs of the state.The commitee used estimated demography of the local governments for the distribution of the palliatives.”

According to the Governor, the relief materials received by the state Bauchi state government from the CACOVID commitee and other Federal government agencies include 269,350kgs of rice, 100,500kgs of maize, 320,000kgs of beans, 795,000 pieces of spaghetti.

Others are 400,000 pieces of Indomine, 16,000kgs of salt, 292,934kgs of sugar, 11,950 litres of palm oil, 150,000 pieces of Maggi cubes and 406,900kgs of millet.

Governor Mohammed explained that under the allocation for each Local Government, Alkaleri will receive 6,500,

Bauchi 8,000, Bogoro 3,500, Dass 3,500, Danbam 4,000, Darazo 5,000, Gamawa 5,000, Ganjuwa 5,000, Giade 4,000, while Itas Gadau is to recieve 4,000 items.

The rest are Jamaare with 3,500, Katagum 7,000, Kirfi 4,000, Misau 5,000, Ningi 6,000, Shira 5,000, Tafawa Balewa 5,000, Toro 6,500, Warji 3,500, and Zaki with 4,000 commodities.

Also speaking, a representative of the Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19, Dr Bello Ibrahim said the forum is a joint initiative of leading private sector leaders and the Central Bank of Nigeria to galvanise urgent support in the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Dr Bello Ibrahim said the initiative in collaboration with the state government has laid out an elaborate plan to effectively and efficiently distribute 120 trucks of relief materials to target beneficiaries across the twenty Local Government Areas of the state.

“CACOVID-19 are doing this to help the most vulnerable households that have been affected by the coronovirus outbreak.

“We appreciate the assistance given by Your Excellency, Governor Bala Mohammed, Kauran Bauchi to the CACOVID-19 team in the fight against COVID-19 in Bauchi State and we look forward for your continued support and the details of the State-level roll out plan,” he said.

The Chairman of the COVID-19 Palliative Committee, the Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Adamu, reaffirmed the determination of the palliative committee to be transparent in the distribution process just as it did during the total lockdown of Katagum, Giade and Zaki Local Government Areas of the state.