Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Ado Bayero have called on residents in the state to embark on fasting to seek the intervention of God to overcome the Coronavirus pandemic.

This was coming as the Governor inaugurated a 38-man member fund raising committee to provide relief materials to the downtrodden in the state.

Ganduje while inaugurating the committee said the assistance is necessary to cushion the effect of the lockdown with the situation at hand and address what he described as stomach virus while trying to avert the spread of coronavirus.

The Governor also at the gathering called on all retired health workers in the state, to register with the state Ministry of Health to provide voluntary services to contain the scourge.

According to him, “I call on Kano people to observe fasting tomorrow, 30th March, 2020 which is equivalent to 5th Sha’aban, 1441 AH, to pray for Allah’s Mercy and Forgiveness against the deadly pandemic.

“I also called on people to intensify prayers in our Mosques during our 5 daily prayers and in our Friday Mosques to pray against this Coronavirus for the state, the country, and the entire humanity, because prayer is the best fire for this disease.

“While we are putting effort to take preventive and curative measures against the coronavirus pandemic, there are some groups of people who can not earn a living, who must go out to fend for their families.

“There are those who are economically weak and must be affected during this trying time. That is why we decided to form a committee to raise money and mind in order to help them cushion the effects.

“That is why we are doing our best to avoid what could be seen and termed as Stomach Virus instead. Hence the need for this quick intervention. And that is why we chose people who are honest, genuine and people with dexterity in resource management. People who can take all the pains to locate those needy ones in our nooks and crannies.

“This committee will find out donations from organisations on corporate social responsibility basis, from individuals, in order to galvanize the strength and see how to take care of those people who need such support.

“The state government is also turning the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium into Isolation Centre, for the time being, The richest man in Africa, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has promised to provide the state with 600 bedded facilities as his contribution in this proactive measure against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

“We invited all retired health workers in the state, to kindly come and register with the state Ministry of Health on a voluntary basis as part of the preparations for this pandemic,” Ganduje stated.

The Committee had it terms of Reference to include to identify organisations and individuals that can give assistance for the gigantic work, to identify the needy people who would be given the assistance to ameliorate their sufferings, to work out modalities of distribution to the public, among others.

The Committee was also given One Week to submit it report.

The Committee had Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello, Vice-Chancellor, of Bayero University, Kano, as its Chairman and Tajuddeen Aminu Dantata as the Co-Chair of the Committee.

In his acceptance remarks, Professor Bello commended the governor for finding them worthy of being members of the all-important committee just as it applauded the governor for coming up with the idea to support the needy who could be suffering in the wake of the measures put in place to curtail the spread of the disease.

He also expressed the readiness of the committee to work diligently towards actualising the goals of the committee.

In the same vein, Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Bayero told his subjects to observe three fasting and prayers to seek God’s divine intervention against the scourge.

Bayero said with the way things are going, God’s intervention remains the paramount answer to the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source:- Vanguardngr