…Warns Against Complacency

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has commissioned 500 bed COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Center located at the Idu District of Federal Capital City has as the facility was handed over to the FCTA by the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee chaired by the former Minister of the FCT, Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar.

In his remarks during the handing-over ceremony, the FCT Minister said that the Advisory Committee which comprises entirely of individuals from the organized private sector was established with the realization that the galvanization of all human and material resources was necessary for the fight against the disease.

The Minister said that apart from the work done at the Idu Isolation Center, the Committee also provided one 350KVA generators each at the isolation and treatment center of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada and the  Karu General Hospital. This is in addition to the donation of  substantial amount of palliatives, PPEs and other ancillary equipment.

While expressing the gratitude of the FCTA to the Committee, in Abuja on Monday, Malam Bello said that the Committee also worked tirelessly with all the relevant FCT agencies in providing much needed advice, interventions and suggestions and this, has contributed to the containment of the virus to a large extent in the Territory.

Minisiter said that, FCTA was also in discussion with the Committee for the establishment of more isolation centers in the Territory.

 
He however charged residents of the FCT not to be complacent in dealing with the virus saying that failure to comply with the established guidelines of social distancing, face covering while in public and maintenance of physical hygiene, may lead to the 1000 bed spaces available in the FCT not being enough to contain the spike that might follow.

 Malam Bello, therefore charged residents to view the fight against COVID-19 as a personal fight for survival.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee, Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar said that the FCT Minister charged the Committee of 28 members to mobilize human, financial and material resources to augment and support what the FCTA was already doing in the fight against COVID-19 in the Territory.

The Committee, he said was broken into four sub-committees comprising Medical, Logistics, Resource Mobilization and Public Affairs and Media and also co-opted several volunteers and other experts who all worked pro-bono. Their reward he said is the pleasure of having to serve Abuja, the city they all love and cherish.

He also reminded residents of the FCT that COVID-19 is indeed real and that everyone should be committed to fighting the dangerous and debilitating disease and thanked the FCT Minister for granting them the opportunity to serve and pledged the willingness of members of the Committee to continue to work hard until the disease is eradicated in the FCT and the nation as a whole.

Also present at the event were the Honourable Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Borno, officials from the NCDC and the WHO as well as senior members of  staff of the FCTA.

 
Companies and individuals that contributed to the establishment of the Idu Isolation and Treatment Center include; Future Assured Foundation under the leadership of Her Excellency, the Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, Polaris Bank Limited, Fate Foundation, Julius Berger Nig. PLC, HIS Towers, CCECC, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Salini Nig. Ltd, HITS Furniture Ltd, Yaliam Press, Senator Aishatu (Binani) Dahiru Ahmed, Mohammed Jibrin and Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar.

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