Ogun State Governor, Prince Dap Abiodun said his administration had spent billiins of naira in the fight against the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the State.
The governor, who unsolicitedly told this to his guests, the Director-General, National Centre for Diseae Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu and his team, however, did not declare the exact amount his government had spent to wage fierce war against the viral disease.
Update on the disease shows that Ogun State has only 20 confirmed cases, six of them had been discharged while 210 had been traced to the Covid-19 victims.
Governor Abiodun stated that the billions of naira were expended on "setting up isolation centres, procuring equipment, sensitisation, manpower development, surveillance and other logistics, including food items which were packaged and distributed across the State to ameliorate the harsh effects of lockdown on the citizens.
The Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin made this known in a statement on Wednesday issued after the visit of the Director-Geneal of the NCDC on Tuesday.
The governor further told his guests that the molecular laboratories and other equipment being used to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the State were procured through self-help.
Prince Dapo Abiodun said the State would soon begin the first batch of the distribution of millions of face masks to Ogun State residents to stop community transmission of Covid-19.
He stated that the State had procured equipment for drive-through testing in the local communities to ensure no stone was unturned to curb the spread of the disease.
He appealed to the Federal Government to assist the State financially so he could achieve more, adding that the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to pay more attention to Ogun State in the fight against the dreadful virus.
On restriction order, the governor said the lockdown has not been total in the State, maintaining that this was so because of the peculiar situation of the State, which he described as the weak capacity of the citizens' disposable incomes.
He also mentioned that many of the residents ate largely living on daily income, unlike those in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
"We have had to manage the delicate balance between the people's welfare and public safety. So far, we are on top to ensure community transmission is put under control," he said.
Responding, the D-G, National Centre of Disease Control showered encomiums on Prince Abiodun and Covid-19 Team in the State for measurrs put in place to combat the spread of the pandemic.
The D-G, NCDC , Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, after inspecting the the first State fully funded molecular laboratory at Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Sagamu and the 128-bed Covidi Isolation and Treatment Centre at Ienne commended the leadership of the State on how to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic.
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