By Hammed Shittu
The Kwara State government has commended the financial support of the chairman of the BUA Group Abdulsamad Rabiu, chairman of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Tony Elumelu, and the United Bank for Africa, among others, in their support to the national and subnational campaigns against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the state’s spokesman on Technical Committee on COVID-19 , Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye said, “The government appreciates the N1billion donation that Alhaji Rabiu has made to seven states of the federation including Kwara State to bolster the national response to this pandemic.
“Similarly, the government is profoundly grateful to Mr. Elumelu and the UBA for their donation of a whopping N28.5 million to the Kwara State Government to combat this crisis.”
According to the statement, “These gestures, which are a corporate social responsibility at its finest, are most welcome at this critical time when government’s resources are understandably stretched because of the global oil crisis partly engineered by this unexpected health emergency that threatens the entire human race.”
The statement said the government needs all the help it could get to face down the pandemic, calling on other corporate bodies and philanthropists to donate to the Technical Committee to help its effort to curtail the virus.
The statement stated, “Donations can be made to the committee through Kwara State COVID-19 Support Bank Account 1022751448 at UBA.
“The corporate bodies or individuals wishing to assist the state may either pay into this account, donate essential materials for government to take care of the poor, or do their own private support to persons of their choice.”
The committee meanwhile has cautioned people against politicising the global pandemic for selfish gains, adding: “the nature of the enemy we face is such that all hands must be on deck and all of us must forget making any political mileage out of the situation while concentrating our energy only on curtailing it immediately.
“Anyone who wishes to contribute anything should please send it through the right channels. This time calls for sober reflection. It is no time to score cheap political gains at the expense of public health.”
