The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA said it has donated 20 ventilators to fight the spread of Coronavirus otherwise known as COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Bashir Jamoh, director-general of NIMASA, who disclosed this in Lagos on Sunday, also announced the donation of the total sum of N50 million to fight the virus in the country.
He explained that N30 million will be going to the Federal Government Committee on COVID-19 Intervention while N20 million will go to the Lagos State Government to aid its effort to control the spread of the virus in the state.
According to a statement by Isichei Osamgbi, head of public relations unit at NIMASA, the agency equally volunteered its six fast intervention vessels to be committed to facilitating transport logistics support in the maritime sector.
He said the volunteers from the agency would be deployed to join the first responders from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Lagos and other states in managing the spread of the pandemic.
“The Coronavirus pandemic is upon humanity. It came suddenly upon a virtually unprepared world, and demands drastic actions from all and sundry to contain the spread and salvage our common humanity. We are concerned about the effect of the pandemic on the socio-economic life of the country, especially at a time NIMASA, Nigeria’s maritime industry regulator, is driving a Blue Economy campaign, to make maritime a key part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic diversification agenda,” Jamoh stated.
He further stated that the agency had also volunteered four fully equipped brand new ambulances, four Hilux trucks and four 36-seater coaster buses to support and facilitate land based logistics in the Federal capital Territory, Lagos, Delta, Rivers, Cross River and Kaduna States.
Other medical equipment the agency donated to enhance the fight against the COVID-19 in Nigeria include 60 beds, 20-patient ICU monitors, 20 oxygen concentrator, 10 infusion pumps, 10 syringe pump, 20 oxygen giving set, 10 suction machine and 100 set of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“This is our little contribution to aid the robust efforts of the Federal and State Governments to fight the virus. It is our token of love, concern for Nigerians and a gesture of appreciation to the authorities’ proactive measures in this collective fight against a common enemy,” Jamoh added.
