Yemisi Izuora
Two oil firms, Seplat Petroleum Development Company and Waltersmith have donated some medical items that will help to curb the spread of the virus in Imo state.
Receiving the items at Government House, Owerri on Wednesday, Governor Hope Uzodimma reiterated his avowed determination to nip the spread of the virus in the bud.
While appreciating the gesture by the oil firms, Uzodimma stated that their kind donation will go a long way in assisting the state in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
The Governor who admitted that prevention and control of the disease cannot be done by government alone urged other companies and good-spirited citizens to emulate the kind gestures of Seplat and Waltersmith in the fight against the dreaded disease.
Governor Uzodimma said: “I want to thank you on behalf of the good people of Imo State for your show of solidarity this afternoon and also to assure you that this will go a long way to address the situation of the virus. The people of Imo are indeed challenged not only because of the paucity of funds in our state, but also the task of what is required to address this situation is also very huge.”
He added: “We also want to invite through this medium, our brothers and sisters to understand that government alone cannot address this situation. I urge them to join people like you to make donations and contributions. Ours is to ensure that these things will get to the targets so that at the end of the day, we would have created a win-win situation for all the people.”
The Governor assured that the items will be put to good use, noting that Imo State, as much as he knows, is still recording zero number of infected or confirmed cases.
Speaking earlier, leader of the delegation Mr. Emeka Onyeagba stated that the sole purpose of their mission was to deliver the medical facilities to the government as part of their corporate social responsibility to their host state. He noted that the government is less than three months in office, it needs every support it could garner from both public and private sectors to combat the scourge.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Damaris Osunkwo commended the Oil Companies for their donations and prompt response to partner with government in the fight against the global COVID-19 health crisis, adding that the Governor Uzodinma-led government is on top of the situation and is leaving no stone unturned to keep the state safe from the pandemic.
Addressing newsmen, the Chairman of the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Committee, Prof. Maurice Iwu stated that the state is doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the virus via vertical integration with the Federal Government Agencies that include the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Iwu also announced that Equipment Procurement Isolation Centres are in place with direct hotlines at relevant health institutions to determine if the suspect may need isolation.
Iwu however advised that “the best form of prevention is to stay home and self-quarantine than to create unnecessary jeopardy amongst the people.”