- Ondo State Citizens react
Business mogul, Jimoh Ibrahim, on Thursday, donated N40m to Ondo State government to help fight the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Speaking while presenting the N40m cheque to the State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, Ibrahim urged the governor to focus on saving lives rather than constructing bridges and roads amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
Nigerian Tribune reports that the businessman urged the state government to create synergy with private hospitals as testing centres, disclosing that the NICON Group would replicate the support in six other states.
“We want the government to identify private hospitals in all the local government that could test patients.
“I will suggest we consider COVID-19 as a megaproject. Identify reasonable well set up private hospitals to make them part of the centre for testing. If the patients are positive, they could be referred for treatment.”
He stressed the need to combat the disease saying the COVID-19 could kill up to 50 million people and if one person out of 100 affected persons dies it affects the people of the state.
“This is a pandemic we cannot play with. We are going to help six states build medical capacity that is dangerous.
“The government alone cannot fight this virus. We don’t have data. We need data on who have developed symptoms for the virus. If we treat those set of people, they may not graduate to coronavirus.
“What is key in COVID-19 is data but we don’t have those data. What is key to the management of epidemics is data. How can we have the data if those centres are not available at the local level? These centres will be able to handle data of those with symptoms.
“Declare in your cabinet that COVID-19 is a megaproject. You will construct bridges and roads and nobody to use them after losing 50 per cent of the population. You better not construct the roads but save the citizens lives.
“As NICON Group, we are looking at how to help six states in the country but charity begins at home.”
Responding, Akeredolu assured that the money would be put into proper use especially to buying more testing kits, while he promised to look into the idea of partnering private hospitals as testing centres for COVID-19 in the state.
“As part of your philanthropic posture, you have come to donate N40m to the COVID-19 account. We have not had many people who have done this.
“A few have done something else. Few banks have given us money. We will utilise this money for the purpose.
“We have established isolation centres in our three senatorial districts. We will look at your suggestion to involve private hospitals. We will look into it. It is a wonderful idea.”
Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the donation of the cheque to the state government on social media.
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