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| Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State |
The Federal Government will stand by Kano as the state battles the spike in strange deaths and rising Coronavirus cases, the Presidency said on Wednesday.
It said President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to ensuring that the situation is quickly brought under control.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, noted that Nigeria is affected by the shortage of personal protective equipment, testing kits and other medical devices required to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the Buhari administration will support Kano as results of the verbal autopsies are awaited, Shehu said in a statement.
It reads: “In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days.
“While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria, there are others who say it is COVID-19.
“We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy.
“What we know all over the world is that communities with similar socioeconomic dynamics like Kano have found as very helpful, the sort of lockdown measures now imposed, with markets and other public places of worship shuttered more strictly.
“The President and his government are with the people of Kano State and will not let them down.
“If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal Government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement together.
“There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office – or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired.
“This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens.”
Also on Wednesday, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje praised the Federal Government for reopening the only National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) testing centre in Kano after some days of closure due to a lack of reagents.
Speaking when he received members of the House of Representatives from Kano State on a solidarity and sympathy visit on Tuesday night, he said: “President Muhammadu Buhari deserved to be commended for ensuring that the test centre in Kano continues to function.
“We commend him for sending a powerful delegation to find out the problem with the aim of finding a solution.
“The state needs more testing centres across. Looking at our population, the state government is providing more health workers to support the Federal Government’s effort,” Ganduje said.
Leader of the delegation and Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, said the visit was to express their concern and sympathy with the people and government over the recent sudden and alarming deaths in the state.
