Follow Us on Google
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The National Economic Council (NEC) presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has approved for Adamawa, Plateau, Nasarawa states to submit their detail plans to access the 80 per cent funding for National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).
The three states have been listed as pilot states for NLTP takeoff.
Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, who is the chairman of the Sub-Committee, disclosed this to State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting.
The NEC had in September 2019 proposed a budget of N100 billion for the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan.
They had proposed that the Federal Government would bear 80 per cent of the N100 billion while participating states would support the balance of N20 billion and land for the programme.
Umahi told reporters that the NEC had approved that willing states participating in the National Livestock Transformation Plan should submit their detailed programmes and how they would fund their 20 per cent share of the scheme.
He said the states had submitted letters of intent and evidence of gazetted grazing reserves in their domains.
Speaking on measures taken by the states to address insecurity, he said the idea of regional security outfits was misplaced, noting that any measure taken to assist regular policing should be state-based.
“I watched the Lagos State Governor (Babajide Sanwo-Olu), say that the Amotekun law is state-based. That is because when you talk of regional security, you are talking of something higher than state police.
“You are looking at one central command; one law, one office and one command. There can’t be anything like that with the present constitution and every governor swore to uphold the tenets of the constitution,” Umahi added.
On efforts to reduce 72 per cent Lassa Fever infections are prevalent in Edo, Ebonyi and Gombe, Umahi said: “On efforts to reduce Lassa Fever, you must know that Ondo is bordering Edo state and you have centre of treatment in Edo and Ebonyi State. Some of these things you get into trouble trying to help, that is why you have 71 per cent of victims coming from these three states. But we are doing quite a lot like we are building centre where people that are suspected are also taken in and analyzed.
“We have also launched an awareness against coronavirus, Lassa Fever and cholera in our states, local government areas and communities.”
On if they were convinced by the level of preparedness submitted by the health minister, especially with senate resolution that Nigeria is not prepared to confront the coronavirus, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said: “On level of preparedness on COVID19, it was one of the longest session, the Minister and Minister of State for Health were drilled for a very long time. We had to be convinced and we were at the end of the day. But of the things they convinced us with is that, not only have they started taking full measures at all our entry point especially at the airports, for seaport, basically what they analysed based on the advice of WHO is that even if you are commuting from China to Nigeria by sea, it will take you nothing less than 21 or 25 days. So whatever thing would have manifested within the 14 days incubation period. It is the global protocol that they are following. For instance, they have sent our chairman of National Centre for Disease Control, who just came back from Ethiopia, some of our commissioners have gone to Geneva…so even for the national directorate, there is what is called self-quarantine.
“When you have gone and you come back you just self quarantined yourself. And that is what the United Nations and the World Health Organization have recommended for everyone.
“For us, we know they have enough reagents, testing kits in the country as we speak and that is why all the suspected cases have all resulted negative.
“They don’t limit it to the person suspected, they go around persons he must have come in contact with in one form or the other and they are monitoring them. So based on information and assurances were given, they are ready. So there is nothing to be scared of.”
Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shuiabu said of the latest Lassa Fever outbreak across several states: “You know Edo being the centre of treatment most of these figures are credited to Edo. But nonetheless, we have three local governments where we have these cases and what we have done is to strengthen our capacity for contact tracing, that is very important.
“To deal with it you have to quarantine and have these data if not, the spread is very easy. So what we have done is to upgrade, retrain, contact tracing and also bring in the technology. We have provided two do additional centres one in Benin and another in Edo north and they are dedicated for Lassa Fever treatment. We have signed MOU with federal medical centre Irrua for personnel because they are specialist in treatment of Lassa Fever.
“The state government also procured additional screening machines for Irrua specialist hospital to deal with this. Because the treatment or Lassa is very expensive, so the state government had to buy these machines in other to crash the price of treatment.”
