January 14, 2016 – Bayelsa State Executive Council has placed the 15-man committee set up during the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease(EVD) in 2015 on red alert following outbreak of Lassa Fever in Nigeria. The committee was put on alert to be able to act with swiftness should the state record an incident of Lassa Fever.
To date, at least 40 people have died of the ailment, the last coming from Abuja. Briefing newsmen, at the end of the meeting, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ayebatonye Owei, said council deliberated on the current outbreak of Lassa Fever in some parts of the country.
He said the 15-man emergency response team that was constituted during the Ebola outbreak in the country has been put on alert, in case of any possible outbreak of Lassa Fever in the state.
Identifying symptoms of Lassa fever to include coughing, bleeding and body weakness, Owei said, the disease is transmitted through rats.
Consequently, he disclosed that, the government has embarked on a sensitization programme on the need for people to maintain good personal hygiene and ensure that food is well cooked.
The council also approved the 2016 fiscal estimate tagged, “Budget of Transition”, with emphasis on the completion of the ongoing developmental projects across the three senatorial districts.
But priority attention will be given to the tower and four star hotels as well as the development of tourism, agriculture and industrialization.
In his address, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Ambrose Akierite said the budget proposal would focus on the completion of ongoing projects that would generate revenue for the state, adding that, the Executive Council’s decision not to embark on new capital projects was informed by the economic realities of sliding crude oil prices, which has negatively impacted on the national economy.
Speaking on the same issue, the State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Duate Iyabi, said, the 2016 fiscal year would be targeted at completing the cargo airport, before the middle of next year.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Esueme Dan-Kikile, added that the 2016 budget proposal would also be focused on community development initiatives, particularly in boosting the government’s drive on rural electrification tagged, Operation Light Up Bayelsa.
In his presentation, the State Commissioner for Environment, Iniruo Wills said, the council decided to overhaul the waste management system and develop a multi-pronged approach to make waste disposal more viable.
According to him, the government will also build a waste recycling plant and embark on measures to ensure that, the state’s waste disposal system becomes self-sustaining, in order to relieve the government of the financial burden.
