Maduako Igbokwe l Thursday, April 09, 2020
ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – A non-governmental organisation, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation on Tuesday donated three trailer loads of medical equipment to the Nigerian army, Nigerian Police and Federal medical centre Adamawa to assist in the fight against spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
Handing over the equipment to the benefiting organisations at the sir Emeka Offor Warehouse in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, the coordinator of the foundation Sir Tonny Obi said the consignments have some medical facilities that would be useful to combat spread of the pandemic in the country.
According to Obi, iterms in th 14-40 feet containers of Medical equipment worth over N2.1 billion are being distributed by Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) to 14 medical institutions in Nigeria, that spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country, including Abuja.
Obi, also said that the total equipment and handed over to the 14 medical institutions across the six geopolitical zones of the country
are worth over 2.1 billion naira .
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According to him, the distribution of the medical equipment and supplies were going on before the lockdown in the country, but because of the national emergency occasioned by the scourge of COVID-19, the foundation in obedience to best practices and government guidelines closed its warehouse as a precautionary and preventive measure to avoid creating a condition that would favour the spread of the pandemic.
The coordinator further said that it has become desirable for the Foundation to reopen the warehouse and ensure that the medical
consignments were delivered to the beneficiaries as it contained some of the personal protective equipment needed in the fight against Coronavirus since the beneficiaries desire them more than ever before.
He said that before the importation of the medical equipment there was no knowledge of the pandemic but as God would have it the equipment is necessary in the present circumstance.
“The situation presented by the ravaging COVID-19 scourge portends that all hands must be on deck to assist the government of Nigeria in fighting the scourge. The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force as the first responders deserve the equipment and supplies at this best period of national emergency, those who protect us need protection.
“Adamawa state as one of the states in the North East Region which is the first state to respond, deserve humanitarian assistance to contain the increasing health challenge posed by the insurgency, ” he said.
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Receiving the army share, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Burutai, represented by Lt. Col. Oloche Adole thanked Sir Emeka Offor,
for what he called generous contributions to the Nigerian Army to support ongoing effort to contain the menace of Coronavirus.
While the Inspector General of Police who was represented by the Anambra State Commissioner of Police Mr. John Abang described the donation as a laudable act by Sir Emeka Offor and his Foundation. He assured that the Nigerian Police Medical Service would judiciously use the equipment and supplies not only for the police, but for the public.
Secretary to the Government State Government (SSG) of Adamawa State, Bashiru Ahmed who received the medical equipment and supplies for Federal Medical Center Yola, on behalf of the State Government, said the equipment and supplies would be handed over to Chief MedicalDirector of the hospital during a reception the state government would organize to show how important it attached to the SEOF donation and how judiciously it would be used.
According to him, medical institutions that have recived their consignments include, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra State, National Orthopedic Hospital Enugu, Federal Medical Center Yenegua Bayelsa State, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Maiduguri, Gonbe State Specialist Hospital Gombe and Federal Medical Center Kalgo, Leko Abdurrahman Hospital Daura.
