Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who has agreed to the presidents approval for its state’s lockdown relaxation, which is quite some big risk as the governor has admitted of the big risk after the mysterious death toll it experienced in the state has been linked to the coronavirus disease. Kano which is unarguably one of the most populated state in Nigeria, stands the many risk involved in the relaxation even as governor Ganduje senses trouble.
Recall that President Buhari pronounced the lock-down on the state during his address to the nation on Monday as part of measures to curb the rising Coronavirus infections recorded in the state.
Ganduje had subsequently hailed the decision but pleaded with the President to ease the lock-down. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, on Saturday evening, the governor said he has the consent of the President to relax the lock-down on Mondays and Thursdays.
“We sought for the consent of Mr President on how to relax the lockdown, to allow for some free movements of people but within stipulated hours of the agreed days.
“Due to that, I am hereby making an announcement that each Monday in the lockdown period between 10 am to 4 pm people are allowed to come out and make some purchases. So, also on Thursdays between 10 am to 4 pm people are allowed to be out within this stipulated time,” Ganduje was quoted in the statement.
However, Kano has the second highest number of Coronavirus cases of infected patients of the coronavirus disease in Nigeria with about 342 patients.
Speaking at the presentation of a mobile testing centre donated by the Dangote Foundation, Ganduje said from the outset, the state faced challenges in testing. According to him;
“There is no doubt that Kano is in trouble. And there is no doubt that we started on a shaky foundation,” he said.
“When samples were taken to Abuja for seven hours and came back again in seven hours, that was the shaky foundation I am talking about.
“We then lodged complaints to President Muhammadu Buhari, who ordered for the establishment of a Testing Centre at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, which after take-off was shut down for some days if not weeks. That was what escalated the transmission of the disease up to community transmission.
“With the coming back of the AKTH Testing Centre and the addition of Bayero University, Kano that has the capacity of testing about 200 samples per day now, with the coming of Dangote Mobile Testing Centre of 400 samples capacity, we are making headway in facing the crisis squarely.”
