The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, which Kano, northern Nigeria foremost economy is gradually becoming one of the epicenters in the country, has brought to the fore the much-talked-about need for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the delivery of public good.
What seems to be a direct step geared at actualising this thinking, since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Kano, has been the efforts by private players, in the provision of practical solutions to the curtailment of Covid-19 in the state.
In Kano State, private sector players have made significant contributions in cash and materials running into billions of naira, in support of the state government response to the outbreak of the virus in the state.
So far, businesses and individuals have contributed over N500 million in cash to a fundraising campaign on COVID-19, championed by the Kano State Government, as part of on-going efforts to help vulnerable persons in the state.
The biggest contributor to the fundraising is an elder statesman and Kano based billionaire and business mogul, Aminu Alhassan Dantata, who made a donation of N300 million to the campaign.
Yahuza Bello, co-chairman, who is the vice-chancellor of the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), also revealed the contribution of N28.5 million made by the management of United Bank for Africa, one of Nigeria’s most successful commercial banks.
Meanwhile, Africa’s leading entrepreneur, Aliko Dangote, donated a 500-bed Isolation Centre, situated inside the playing turf of the Sani Abacha Stadium, while two Kano-based businessmen, Abba Sumaila and Abubakar Dalhatu, chairman Al-Amsad Group, donated 500 sacks of spaghetti and N5 million respectively to the state fund.
Other contributors to the fundraising are Senator Barau Jubrin, who donated N4 million, while, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, and Senator Kabiru Gaya, who are both former governors in the state, each made a contribution of N2 million.
In addition, 11 of the 24 members of the House of Representatives from the state have promised to contribute N1 million each, while, the remaining 13 members made a commitment of N250, 000 each.
According to Yahuza, all political appointees, including commissioners, and all the 44 Local Council Chairmen in the state, has made a commitment to donate 50 percent of their salaries in the month of March, to the cause.
Recently, Kano State Government commissioned a 66-bed capacity Isolation Centre fully refurbished and equipped by the Private Sector Coalition against Covid-19 (CACOVID), to serve as a receiving facility for individuals that test positive for Covid-19.
The facility, which is situated at Abubakar Imam Urology Centre, is one of the six Isolation facilities being put in place in the state, to complement the on-going efforts by both the federal and state governments in handling the rising cases of Covid-19 in the state.
Apart from the physical overhauling of the building of the centre, CACOVID also provided new set of hospital beds, air-conditions, refrigerators, and other medical accessories, as well as re-creation and sporting facilities including a Table Tennis Court.
Speaking before handling over the donated centre to the state government, Abdulkadir Sidi, representative of the chairperson of Dangote Foundation, who performed the presentation on behalf of CACOVID, said that the gesture was part of an on-going intervention by the partners geared at assisting the government to confront the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
Sidi expressed the determination of the partners to continue to support the state government in every way to bring an end to the disease.
“On behalf of CACOVID, we in Dangote Foundation are glad to hand over this 66-bed capacity fully equipped centre to you. As you know, the refurbishing and other facilities put in place here is at the instance of the partners. We want to assure you that the CACOVID is prepared to continue to support the state in whatever way required,” Sidi stated.
Earlier, Ibrahim Tsanyawa, commissioner for health, commended the CACOVID for the initiative which, according to him, was a great boost to the fight against Covid-19 pandemic disease in the state.
The commissioner called on the residents of the state to complement what the government and private bodies that constitute CACOIVD are doing, by complying with all the directives given by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to curtail the disease.
Also, the Dangote Foundation also made specific donation of a Mobile Testing Centre, which the head of Dangote Foundation, Zuwaira Yusuf, said was conceptualised, designed and built by Nigerians in Nigeria.
“The testing capacity of the Mobile Testing Centre is 400 per day, and we will increase it to 1,000 per day in the next two weeks. In addition to this, we are also donating 10 ambulances and other materials specifically for Kano state,” she said.
Conversely, the BUA Foundation also made a significant contribution of N3.3 billion for the purpose of equipping the existing health facilities in Kano and Lagos states, as part of the Foundation’s support towards curtailing the spread of Covid-19, in the country.
Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder/chairman of the Foundation, made this known in a press statement made available to BDSUNDAY, in Kano, and observation has shown that the Foundation has since honoured its commitment with the donation of ambulance and vehicles to the Kano State Government.
Stating that the donations were geared at boosting testing capacity of the centers in Kano and Lagos states, Rabiu stated that the Foundation would be making available two grants of N2 billion for the Kano –based intervention, and N1 billion for Lagos state, the two epicenter of the pandemic in Nigeria.
“The Foundation will also be making the sum of N300 million available immediately to the Presidential Task Force to assist with logistic and operational activities of the task force, according to the Foundation, this is in addition to BUA earlier contributions to the private sector led CA-COVID Coalition and donations to other states,” Rabiu added.
BDSUNDAY understands that the working groups are expected to use the resources at its disposal to ensure these facilities are fully equipped in the shortest possible time, and it is believed that the provision of the grant will help expand the scope of the on-going interventions, research, as well as support the already stretched medical facilities being use for the fight against Covid-19 pandemic in the two states.
However, Gala Investment, one of the leading investment firms in northern Nigeria, also donated relief materials worth several millions of Naira, to the Kano State Fund Raising Committee on Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking while, presenting the items, Aseriabo Godwin, head, Human Resources, disclosed that the company resolved to donate the items as part of its corporate support Kano State Government effort to cushion the effect of the harsh impact of Covid 19, on residents of the state.
According to Godwin, the donated items, includes, 50 units of 75 X 36 size mattresses, 300 cartons of indomie, and 100 cartons of superghettii, among others.
Commenting, Mohammed Garba, commissioner for information, who received the items on behalf of the Kano Covid-19 committee, commended the company for the gesture.
The commissioner thanked the company’s management staff, led by Ali Abdallah, administrative manager of the company, and Muhammad Danzumi, marketing manager, for taking their time to personally ensure they follow the donation to the delivery warehouse.
However, the only known public contribution to the fight against Covid-19 in Kano state, was the one made by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who ordered for the release of N285 million to the Kano COVID-19 Fund Raising Committee, which was to be used for providing palliatives to vulnerable individuals in the state.
The sum was to enable the Committee complete the on-going distribution of palliatives to over 300, 000 households targeted in the state.
Yahuza Bello, chairman of the Committee, who is also the vice-chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, revealed that so far, the Committee has expended over N100 million out of the initial money collected in the first phase of distribution of the palliatives.
He pointed out that the sum of N170 million was required to complete the second phase of distribution of the palliatives.
According to him, governor Ganduje has also directed the Committee to distribute the 139 truckloads of grains released to the state by the Federal Government from the strategic grain reserve, noting that the items contained 6,000 bags of 50kg rice, 42, 600 bags of maize, 17, 400 bags of sorghum and 17, 400 bags of millet, including 2,000 Jerry cans of 20 litre vegetable oil.
He added that the Committee was targeting another 50, 000 households in the second phase of the distribution, in addition to the first 50,000 households that benefited under the first phase.
“The Committee has been monitoring distribution of the palliatives to ensure that those who benefited in the first phase do not come back to collect when the second distribution starts. The state government has also given the committee the directive to supervise the distribution of Ramadan Feeding programme, which we are going to discharge with all sense of transparency and equity,” Bello stated.
He however stated that apart from the 300, 000 households targeted, the committee was also extending palliatives to correctional facilities, remand homes and motherless babies’ homes.
