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Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government said it is planning a package for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs), elderly, petty traders amongst others, as part of its response in tackling the dreaded Coronavirus ravaging many parts of the world.
Government said parts of the plan would be timely distribution of food items, provision of protective items like face masks, hand sanitisers, soaps for washing, prompt payments to beneficiaries of National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) and grassroot communication strategies in taming the spread of Covid-19.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, who announced this yesterday after a meeting with heads of agencies under the Ministry, noted that the gesture was part of ongoing interventions of the Presidential Task Force on covid-19.
According to a statement released by her Special Adviser on Media and Press Affairs, Salisu Dambatta, she urged them to be proactive and responsive as the country is experiencing “an emergency and work must start immediately.
“Given the current global crisis as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, we must work together and deploy all of our resources in unison to support the national efforts for maximum impact.”
She directed all agencies to make available both human and material resources to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Presidential Task Force for use in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She noted that: “The importance of the task ahead of us cannot be overemphasized as our innovations and strategies emanating from our collective efforts will cushion the backlash of the ongoing crisis.
“Given the lack of precedent for a total lock down, I call on you all to be innovative, flexible, transparent and supportive while being on the lookout for lessons to be learned for future application.”
