Governor Bagudu of Kebbi State
By Hamza Abdulrahman
Kebbi is perhaps the least endangered as far as coronavirus affliction is concerned. The farfetched nature of its geographical location has given it some insulation; the bonding and communal knitting amongst its people has become helpful in citizenry enlightenment and sensitization campaigns and the very timely intervention of the administration of Governor Atiku Bagudu and the seriousness with which it has handled issues of continuous surveillance and actions have greatly distanced Kebbi from the vulnerability of other states. There is no doubt, that the timeliness and effectiveness of the measures taken by the Atiku Bagudu government have done some inestimable good in the overall national plan of containment geared towards stopping the pandemic in its track before it snowballs into the kind of killer disease it had become in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Facilities put in place by Kebbi State Government to check COVID-19
Even before his matching order to restrict travel to and from the state which took effect by midnight of Saturday 28TH of March 2020, Governor Atiku Bagudu has, in the build up to the launching of a national action plan against the Virus, quietly engaged critical stakeholders which included health workers, traditional institution, security forces, community and religious leaders as well as the civil service in an effort to forge a common response framework to give Kebbi State the unique cover required to keep the disease at bay.
By the time the Governor made a special broadcast to the people of the state on Friday 27th of March, Kebbi State had duly been mobilized and sensitized to key into the larger outline that was designed to sustain the zero vulnerability status of the state, protect the people through sustainable publicity campaign, mobilization of doctors and public health workers to be ready to be called to action and making resources and infrastructure available to walk the talk.
In the special broadcast, the Governor made it clear that even though the measures taken by government were bound to be inconveniencing to the populace, the ultimate objective was to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus to the state. it should be noted at this juncture that just like most of the Nigerian states, the capacity to handle an outbreak was just not there. We have seen how the Virus mercilessly battered and ravaged more advanced countries in Europe, Asia and the United States regardless of their touted industrialization and technological advancement. A similar out-of-control Corona Virus scenario in any state in Nigeria will spell an unmitigated doom of immense proportion and dire consequences.
The State-of-the-art equipment
Interfacing with critical stakeholders as embarked upon by Governor Atiku Bagudu and the positive result the action has elicited which led to successful and effective mobilization of the citizenry should be located within the prism of the overall objective to steer the state away from having to face the unpalatable and gory consequences should any complacency complicate matters further. We acknowledge that many other states have initiated their own unique and diverse responses to the pandemic. In some areas, the responses were very common amongst the states given their peculiarities in set up, nature of people and above all, infrastructure, man power and equipment deficit. Kebbi is the least vulnerable no doubt, but it borders Niger and Benin Republics and a slightest breach across the border will boomerang far into the interior of Nigeria. The way Governor Atiku Bagudu took charge of the situation in Kebbi and personally drove the engine of action against Covid 19 demonstrates the quality of a visionary leader who is always courageous to provide the kind of leadership required at times of emergencies.
The success and hitch free lockdown clampdown on the state must be seen from the perspective of the open door policy of the Atiku Bagudu administration, as well as the intensive and massive stakeholder involvement initiated in order to carry everybody along. While exempting vehicles on emergency services or those transporting food, fuel and pharmaceutical products, the Governor urged people of the state to keep to the doctrine of social distancing, ordered all schools including Islamiyya and Almajiri schools to remain closed till further notice while civil servants from level 12 downwards were also told to remain at home in the meantime. From the onset of all these, the Governor has held town hall meetings across the state in order to reach the grassroots and give effect to his desire to unite the state and fight the disease in unison. To cap his effort and ensure that any eventual problem is addressed promptly and effectively, the Governor set up a task force and charged it with keeping surveillance, providing information, handling any unlikely case of affliction and responding to all cases pertaining to the Corona Virus pandemic.
The evidence that Kebbi state, under Governor Atikyu Bagudu is ready to respond appropriately to the pandemic is the unveiling of a fully equipped Intensive Care Unit at the Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi which has two ventilators and other equipment. It is on standby to take in any possible patient of the deadly Corona Virus.
As an indigene of Kebbi state who is passionate about good leadership and exemplary governance, I feel that on this Corona Virus pandemic, Kebbi state Governor Atiku Bagudu has proved a rare leadership quality that has given the state a headstart in this fight and has positioned it to fight hard and respond well to any emergency.
Abdulrahman, a student of the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero wrote in from Birnin Kebbi.
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