Impressed by the response of the Kano state governor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in the fight against COVID-19 in the state, the Envoy of the Minister of Health on COVID-19 to Kano State, who was also the pioneer Director General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Prof. Abdussalam Nasidi, said, by what they saw on ground when they came, “I can say what governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is doing in the state, I cannot, so far, see any governor doing that.”
He made the commendation during a special meeting between the governor and Five Emirs in Kano state, alongside the Ministerial Technical Team and other health professionals, at Africa House, Government House, Kano, Tuesday.
Prof Nasidi expressed his satisfaction in the manner and approach Kano state government is handling the global pandemic, with governor Ganduje driving the response.
As he also appreciates the work of the State Task Force on COVID-19, chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and Co-Chaired by Prof. Abdurrazak Garba Habib.
“In the last 2 weeks we have been in the state, what we saw the state has achieved is tremendous and encouraging. What governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is doing is just superb. No state in the federation is doing as effective as Kano state,” says Prof Nasidi.
“I have been to many places in the world in respect of similar infectious diseases, of which I was a party to those responses across the globe. Therefore I am familiar with such terrains. Kano state is doing very well,” he stated.
He reminded that, when they first came to Kano as Ministerial team, they made it very clear that the role of traditional institutions was vital.
Appreciating that, “And here we are in the same hall with all the 5 Emirs in the state. And we leaned that there was such contact even before now. This is a good omen.”
Prof Nasidi warned that people must support government’s effort with all commitment and seriousness, explaining that, “…we cannot achieve what is needed without the cooperation and support of the public.”
Reminding how it started in Italy, that at the beginning, people were not keen about the danger portrayed by the disease, but when it devastated they realized the mistake they faced initially. “It is from there that people remained indoors even before their government issued stay at home order,” he lamented.
All necessary cooperation, he said was needed as a prerequisite to break the transmission of the global pandemic.
He further challenged that, “We are not politicians and we are not here to play politics. We don’t know how to do that. Because it is not our line of engagement.”
