COVID-19: The lives of “Millions in Kano at stake, there is need for empathy” – Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso begs Buhari

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former Governor of Kano State has raised alarm over the increasing number of deaths in Kano.

In a letter written and issued Monday, addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Kwankwaso said, ““at present, and to all intent and purposes, the state has practically no Covid-19 response committee”.

The two time governor in a statement signed by him, noted that “The lives of tens of millions of Nigerians living in Kano state is at stake, as such the central government should be seen to be actively involved in caring for, and saving their lives. There is need for empathy;”

The former Governor and member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said what is in Kano is a gathering of politicians and “a contraption of cronies that are both unqualified and incompetent”.

” As such they kowtow to the whims of politicians without any regards to professional healthcare considerations. The committee technically disbanded itself when majority of the members were tested positive for Covid-19;” . the statement reads in parts.

READ Complete Statement issued below.

The alarm is contained in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, Kwankwaso said ” Permit me Mr. President to draw your attention to the spike in mystery deaths among the aged population in Kano State in the last couple of weeks. Hundreds of funerals have been recorded in all the cemeteries of the eight metropolitan local governments alone”

Similarly, Senator Kwankwaso, who was a two term Governor of Kano state said there is no COVID-19 committee management team in Kano, he said “At present, and to all intent and purposes, the state has practically no Covid-19 response committee. What was hitherto, working as a covid-19 committee was a contraption of cronies that are both unqualified and incompetent. As such they kowtow to the whims of politicians without any regards to professional healthcare considerations. The committee technically disbanded itself when majority of the members were tested positive for Covid-19”

Senator Kwankwaso then made 8 suggestions to President Buhari on ways to curb the spread of the COVID-19 from spread in Kano.

1. The situation in the state should not be seen by Mr. President as a state government matter that should be left to the state. The lives of tens of millions of Nigerians living in Kano state is at stake, as such the central government should be seen to be actively involved in caring for, and saving their lives. There is need for empathy;

2. The federal government should take over the responsibility of rapid response on coronavirus in the state;

3. The State Government should be made to constitute a proper State Taskforce on COVID-19 with members selected base on their professionalism and competence;

4. At least five additional test centres should be established with 10 other sample collection centres across the State;

5. The Taskforce should designate trained medical personnel in all cemeteries across the state that will collect records of all deaths. While another team of medical personnel follow up with inquiry of the cause of death. Furthermore, those that attended to the sick and those that prepared the dead body for burial should also be identified, isolated and contact traced for testing;

6. Since it is undeniable that there is a spike in the number of death and it is probable that these deaths are either as a result of COVID-19 or some other illness, the State Government and citizens should treat and consider all deaths as if it is caused by the virus; therefore all protocols as advised by medical experts be observed whenever death occurs;

7. An independent Federal Government team of experts should be mandated to investigate the rise in cases of death in the elderly population across the State;

8. Palliatives should be generous and general. The virus does not belong to any political party just as hunger and poverty are not partisan.