COVID-19: Yobe Gov. Buni, Deputy, Others Donate 50% Salaries to fight pandemic

Yobe state Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni and his Deputy Idi Barde Gubana and other high ranking officials of Yobe State Government have donated their 50% salaries to the fight against the Corona Virus pandemic.

The Hon. Commissioner for  Information, Abdullahi Bego in a statement released to the press this evening said the donation is a support fund to accelerate the all-hands-on-deck effort of the state in dealing with the fight against the virus.

The Statement also added that both the permanent secretaries in the state, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly with the members, Local Government Management Chairmen, Chairmen of boards and parastatals in the state have also committed their half salaries to the course of the pandemic fight.

The State Judiciary is also not left out of the donation.

The statement reads: “As the Yobe State Government, under His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni, continues to adopt various measures to ensure that the coronavirus disease does not break out in the state, the governor and his deputy, Hon. Idi Barde Gubana have donated 50 percent of their basic salaries to the state’s COVID-19 Support Fund to help accelerate the all-hands-on-deck effort that is so vital to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Following in the example of His Excellency the governor, members of the State Executive Council, the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service and the Chief of Staff to the governor are also donating 50 percent of their basic salaries to the Fund.

“The Yobe COVID-19 Sub-Committee on Resource Mobilization under the leadership of the Hon. Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Dr Abubakar Garba Iliya also wishes to announce that all permanent secretaries, chief executive of boards and parastatals, permanent members of Commissions, including the Local Government Service Commission, House of Assembly Service Commission, Judicial Service Commission, Teaching Service Board, Science and Technical Schools Board, State Independent Electoral Commission, Fiscal Responsibility Board, Arabic and Islamic Education Board, Bureau For Public Procurement, Civil Service Commission, and the Pilgrims Welfare Commission, as well as the Directors of Personnel Management (DPMs) who are currently in charge of the 17 local government councils will also donate 50 percent of their basic salaries to the effort to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak in the state.

“The State Assembly Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Lawan Mirwa, his deputy, Hon. Mohammed Auwal Isa and 22 other members of the House of Assembly are also putting their shoulders behind the effort by donating 50 percent of their basic salaries.

“The State’s judiciary is also chipping in with the Chief Judge and Grand Khadi making available 50 percent of their basic salaries to the effort to convert COVID-19.

“As the work goes on across sectors and communities, the Yobe COVID-19 Prevention and Control Committee under the leadership of His Excellency the Deputy Governor calls on the sons and daughters of Yobe State both within and outside the country, members of the business community, organisations, and philanthropists to do their part as well, by donating to the Yobe COVID-19 Support Fund through the following bank account: Yobe State COVID-19 Support Account Number 1022751510 Bank UBA”, the statement said.

Yobe State has not recorded any case of COVID 19 in the state.

Share:

Read More

BREAKING: Gov. Buni inspects Yobe COID 19 Isolation centre

Gov. Buni with the Health Com, Dr. Gana during the inspection

Yobe State Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni this afternoon took an inspection tour of one of the Isolation Centres for the COVID 19 treatment in the state.

The centre is located at the State Specialist Hospital Damaturu, otherwise  refers to as Sani Abatcha Specialists Hospital.

Gov. Buni was conducted round by the Hon. Commissioner for Helath, Dr. Mohammed Lawan Gana.

Dr. Gana is also the co-chair of the State Task Force Team on COVID 19.

Details of the visit will come later.

Share:

Read More

COVID -19: Yobe closes borders, urges traders not to hike prices of goods

Yobe State Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni has ordered the closure of borders across the state following the spread of the COVID 19 virus across the state.

The order is aimed at restricting inter-state travellers into the state and it will be effective Tuesday midnight of 31^st March, 2020, according to a statement released by the governor’s Director General of Press and Media Affairs, Mamman Mohammed.

The Statement also appealed to traders in the state not to take advantage of the situation and hike prices of goods.

The governor expressed gratitude to God for the zero status of the state for the virus at the moment but called on the people not to relent in prayers, while calling on people to obey all instructions issued by health workers on the prevention and control of the virus.

The statement reads:

“Yobe state Governor, His Excellency Hon. Mai Mala Buni, has directed closure of the state borders from midnight of Tuesday 31st March, 2020 to guard against importation of the dreaded Corona Virus into the state.

“The governor said this became necessary following the spike in spread of the virus in the country.

“He expressed gratitude to Allah (SWT) for sparing the state and its people since the outbreak of the Corona virus pandemic and the zero status of the state.

“The Governor said in spite of the state's zero status, government had taken adequate measures by establishing isolation centers with equipment and constituting a committee on Corona Virus under the chairmanship of the state Deputy Governor, Hon. Idi Barde Gubana.

“He said a Rapid Response Team was also established to closely monitor any suspicious case as we remain grateful that we have no single case upto this moment.

“Gov. Buni urges the people to adhere to medical advises, avoid over crowded gatherings and washing of hands..

“The Governor appealed to the people to cooperate with government and all the relevant agencies for a collective approach to the fight against the pandemic.

“Gov. Buni also called on traders not to hoard essential commodities to hike up prices and create additional hardships to the people.

“He called on the people to be calm and steadfast in prayers to seek divine intervention to save the state, Nigeria and humanity,” the statement said.

 The Nation reports that Jigawa, one of the neighbouring states has also closed her border from other state.

Share:

Read More

OPINION: COVID 19: Borno Deputy Gov. raises alarm over plight of IDPs

Borno Deputy Governor, Umar Usman  Kadafur

Nigeria’s IDPs and the growing spread of coronavirus: What can we do differently?

If the best way to prevent the spread of coronavirus is for people to stay at home, what do we do about Nigeria’s Internally Displaced Persons who have no homes?

Umar Usman Kadafur

The world has literally stood still and is yet to recover from shock since the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) accelerated between February and now. Close to 14,000 people have died from contracting the infectious disease and over 300,000 others have been infected, a good number of them seriously ill. Many advanced countries, including Italy, Germany, and the US, are struggling, but without calming success, to keep the virus contained and their citizens safe, making the prospects for less developed economies like Nigeria all the more frightening.

Already, 30 cases have been confirmed by the authorities in Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the figure is rising by the day. Of course, with interstate travelling still taking place and few people self-isolating, it is only a matter of time before more are discovered in other places.

Nigeria cannot respond to the virus outbreak exactly as other countries have for various reasons. We cannot boast of having the same quality of health care facilities and doctor-to-population ratio. Extreme poverty levels make it difficult for people to quit working even for a while. Circulating helpful and truthful information to the majority of people can also prove tough because of discouraging literacy and internet penetration rates among other indices. 

Also crucial is the fact that the country experiences unique problems as a result of a decade-long insurgency led by Boko Haram. 

There are over 2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the Northern region and over 3 million people suffering from food insecurity, mostly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also estimated that as many as 5.3 million people are in need of health interventions in just these three states. Unfortunately, with nearly half of health facilities not operating in Borno, available infrastructure isn’t close to being adequate to manage the existing crisis. 

The stakes are far too high, hopes are shaky, and we simply cannot afford to be careless or nonchalant about the growing threat from coronavirus.

This is why the Borno State government, ably led by Professor Babagana Zulum, is not waiting for the pandemic to strike before taking steps. Last Friday, His Excellency set up a high-power response team to prevent the virus from spreading to the state and keeping it in check in case it does. 

Because, now more than ever before, all hands have to be on deck, the team will be working closely with various government establishments and international organisations including WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and so on.

As the chairman of this group, I cannot stress enough the enormousness of the task before us. Our approach as a government is to adopt the mechanisms that have worked in foreign countries, while fully recognising our unique circumstances in this part of the world. As the Kanuri proverb goes, he who does not know the road holds back even the one who does. Knowledge sharing will save not only a lot of resources, but also lots of lives.

The state government is already taking steps in ensuring people stay at home as much as possible to reduce the chances of the virus spreading. It can’t be business as usual. The ministry of education will reschedule examinations so that schools can shut down within the next week and we are also paying more attention to our land borders.

Since the virus is introduced into a community by someone or people who have earlier been exposed in a different place, it is obvious that the greatest threat is from our porous borders and monitoring systems. Our security agencies and border patrol officers, therefore, need to be equipped to fully document all kinds of migration and also test immigrants for symptoms of the virus.

Humanitarian workers and health care providers who have been to high-risk countries in the past weeks have to be persuaded to self-isolate for as long as necessary before interacting with the local population.

We are disinfecting our various IDP camps and this will be done as frequently as possible. We are creating more shelters to end overcrowding and reduce human contact, improve sanitary facilities, and provide necessary items such as single-use gloves, face masks, soap, contactless water taps, and hand sanitisers in IDP Camps. It is also important that we have temporary isolation tents at all camps for IDPs who show symptoms of pneumonia as well as readily available ambulances to convey sick people to the hospital for proper care.

Above all, we need more health professionals available at these camps to man the various facilities and ensure standard preventive and general medical practices are complied with. We urge all medical students, and medical personnel that are on leave to return to their respective duty posts and join the efforts of the Borno State Government in pushing back this virus, our people cannot live with the virus of Boko Haram insurgency and COVID-19.

Now is the time for Boko Haram to choose the path of peace because no one is immune to the devastating effects of COVID-19, the survival of each one of us depends on the cooperation of every one of us. Everyone with information or skills that are helpful at this time of great need should come forward with them. 

The future of our race and our children is what is at stake and we, the government and people alike, must be willing to sacrifice everything in securing it.

Umar Kadafur is the deputy governor of Borno State and chairman of the state’s response team to the coronavirus pandemic.

Share:

Read More

BREAKING: Gov. Buni holds close door meeting with Senate president

Senate President Ahmed Lawan welcoming Gov. Buni in his office today

Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni and the Senate President Dr. Ahmed Lawan have met in Abuja in a closed door session.

The meeting according to the Director General Media and Press Affairs to Gov. Buni, Mr. Mamman Mohammed was held at the office of the Senate President in Abuja.

Mr. Mamman Mohammed in a brief update on his Facebook page was quoted as saying that the meeting of the governor with the senate president who is a son of Yobe was for the two leaders to “putting heads together to make Yobe great”.

Gov. Buni was also seeing interacting with the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and other senators during the visit.

The meeting of the governor and the senate president may not be unconnected with the governor’s current drive to attract federal presence in the state.

ImpactOnlineNigeria reports that Gov. Mai Mala has been poised to repositioning the educational sector in the state as well as attract huge investments in agriculture and youth empowerment to the teaming unemployed youth in the state.

Against these backdrop, the governor with a few days of his inauguration as governor convened both an education summit and an agricultural retreat to as an all hands on deck approach to solve the problems.

Share:

Read More

Yobe lunches campaign against open defecation

Open defecation practice 

Yobe State Government has embarked on a campaign against open defecation across the state.

The Yobe State Deputy Governor Hon. Idi Barde Gubana is leading the campaign which is to be carried out across the 17 Local Government areas of the state.

At the flagging off sensitisation campaign which was held at the palace of the Emir of Fika, His Royal Highness, (Dr) Muhammadu Abali Ibn Mohammed Idrissa who is also the Chairman Yobe State Council of Chiefs, the Deputy Governor, Idi Barde said the sensitization campaign has become obvious especially considering the danger that open defecation poses to the community.

The Deputy Governor regretted the high rate of open defecation in Nigeria which according to statistics is ranked second in the world to India and top in Africa, stressing that, Yobe has to key into the Federal Government target of eradicating the practice by 2025.

He noted Governor Buni has to key into the program by giving an express approval for a statewide campaign against open defecation.

“… His Excellency Governor of Yobe State Hon. Mai Mala Buni (Chiroman Gujba) has graciously directed that we undertake this advocacy to 17 local government areas in the state to sensitize you on the dangers and negative consequences of open defecation.

“This is aimed at protecting our environment, culture, norms and values as a people. In addition, to be an open defecation free society also reduces the incidence of diseases and other anti-social behaviour in our state, thus, making it conducive for human habitation, agricultural practice and socioeconomic activities,” he added.

According to the the Deputy Governor, peoples personal hygiene and a cleaner environment has to be maintained by avoiding  indiscriminate discharge or disposal of human waste or excreta by humans in the environment which causes problem to the environment.

 “The dangers and consequences of open defecation in our society ranging from infestation of disease such as typhoid, cholera, malaria among others. It has negative effect on our by polluting the air with bad odor and making the land inhabitable” he said.

He called on the local government councils, community heads and traditional rulers and other important stakeholders to step up action and assist in preventing open defecation through sensitization of the community.

ImpactOnlineNigeria check revealed that the campaign will be taken to all nook and cranies of the state with lunching from senatorial zones. The lunching in Postiskum represents that of Zone B.

Share:

Read More

Yobe governor’s spokesman overwhelmed by show of love over appointment

Mamman Mohammed

The Newly appointed Director General of Media and Press Affairs to Yobe Governor, Mai Mala Buni, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed said he is overwhelmed by the show of love and solidarity over his appointment.

Alhaji Mamman who conveyed his message through his Facebook page observed that the solidarity shown to him is an indication of the popularity and acceptability of Gov. Buni’s government within and outside the state.

According to him,  the outpour of love has also reminded him of the challenging task ahead of him, while hoping for the same cooperation for him to succeed on his new job.

 He singled out his appreciation to the governor for finding him worthy of the appointment, just as he also appreciated his predecessor, Abdullahi Bego who is now the current commissioner of Information in the state for building a vibrant media directorate in the last decade in the state.

The statement reads:

“I wish to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to Almighty Allah, the most beneficent and merciful over my appointment as Director General Media and Press Affairs to His Excellency, Hon. Mai Mala Buni (Chiroman Gujba), the Executive Governor of Yobe state.

“I am equally grateful to friends, family, relations, acquaintances, colleagues, and the NAN family for the show of love over this development.

“The last 48 hours have really been a turning point in my life. Your show of love, prayers, good wishes, encomiums which flow through my phone in form of calls, text messages and on my Facebook account is not just about the popularity of my appointment but also the acceptance of the Governor Mai Mala Buni APC led government.

“My special appreciation goes to my boss, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, His Excellency, Hon. Mai Mala Buni (Chiroman Gujba) for the trust, confidence and finding me worthy of this appointment.

“Frankly, your show of solidarity has also thrown a challenge to me on the enormity of the task before me, but I am confident that the same support and prayers out poured if sustained will provide the desired roadmap for us to succeed.

“I wish to thank my predecessor, Alhaji Abdullah Bego, the Hon. Commissioner for Information, Home Affairs and Culture for building a very vibrant media directorate. I am confident that his support and cordial working relationship will contribute to our collective success in the task of giving this administration and Yobe state generally a very positive image.

“Once again, I appreciate you all,” the statement read.

Share:

Read More

Gov. Buni appoints NAN editor as DG Press

Alhaji Mamman Mohammed

Yobe State Governor Alhaji Mai Mala Buni has appointed the Editor of News Agency of Nigeria, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed as his Director General Press and Media Affairs.

In a statement signed by Shaibu Abdullahi, the Press Secretary to the Secretary to the State Government said the appoint is with immediate effect.

The short statement reads: “His Excellency the Executive Governor of Yobe State Hon. Mai Mala Buni has approved the appointment of Mamman Mohammed as Director General Press and Media.

“Until his appointment, Mamman Mohammed was the Yobe State Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The appointment take immediate effect”

A 1988   graduate of Sociology,  from the prestigious Ahmedu Bello University, Zaria, Mamman Mohammed accumulates 28 years working experience as a journalists where he has rose to the position of an Assistant Editor-In-Chief with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN).

The new spokesman to Yobe Governor also holds a certificate in Mass Communication from the Lodon School of Journalism.

Share:

Read More