The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Barau Jibrin, has urged the Federal Government to assist Kano State financially, to enable it to control the rising spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr Jibrin (Kano North, APC), stressed the need for the federal government to assist Kano state government with funds, equipment and additional testing facilities.
The lawmaker said the assistance would enable the most populous state in the country to meet the challenges posed by the spread of the virus.
He noted that the financial assistance would help Kano state, other states in Northern Nigeria and the country in general, because of the strategic role the state played in the life of the nation.
He noted that the federal government assisted Lagos State, throwing its weight and resources behind it, due to its strategic location to the country.
As of April 22, Kano State has recorded 73 cases of coronavirus.
Mr Jibrin said that with the alarming rate of the spread of COVID-19, it became imperative for President Buhari to help Kano state overcome the threat of the pandemic.
He pleaded that the federal government should not wait until the virus spread beyond the capability of the state before intervening.
The lawmaker commended Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano for his administration’s proactive steps to combat the pandemic.
He recalled that the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu had also commended the governor for the efforts.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is such that no state government can effectively deal with it alone without the assistance of federal government.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should please urgently assist Kano state at this point in time,” he said.
He noted that statistics available revealed that Kano was currently the state with third highest COVID-19 cases in the country after Lagos and Abuja.
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