A sixty- six-member palliative committee constituted by Bauchi State government as part of the desire to cushion the effect of COVID-19 in the state has been inaugurated.
While inaugurating the committee at the command guest house, Bauchi, on Monday, state governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir said that members of the committee were drawn from the political class, religious and community leaders, the business community, seasoned administrators, union leaders, philanthropists among others.
The governor took his time to read out the terms of reference of the committee which include sourcing for assistance in kind and in cash from well-meaning members of the public, corporate organisations, government agencies and International donors.
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The governor also tasked the members to bring their wealth of knowledge and experiences to bear so as to ensure effective discharge of their assigned responsibilities.
Bala Mohammed said that “Your Royal Highness, this committee constituted under your royal control, we have a lot of respect for your office, we have a lot of expectations from your office because we know you can do it very well. It is a mark of recognition that we selected you for this assignment”.
He added that “We feel that curbing the scourge of COVID-19 requires the involvement of people of calibre and capacity like you so that you can help us in our administrative capacity to make sure we provide succour in terms of palliation to the people that may be affected by some of the task policies that we have been taken”.
” It is not our wish to cause any pain to anybody, but we must take action like the partial lockdown, Your Royal Highness, people are now coming to our state to spread this COVID-19 virus and we must work together to tackle this”, the governor added.
Bala Mohammed, however, observed that, with the capacities of the committee members, it is expected to make the state government proud in the area of collection and distribution of donations.
“This committee with sons and daughters of the state as members, we are expecting them to make us proud in the discharge of their assignment in case we come up with total lockdown, but for now even if we have not gone for total lockdown, this is the month of Ramadan, we should distribute what we have” he explained.
He added that ” As a government, we are making our contribution through the Basket fund, this committee is about Bauchi issue, it is not a partisan issue. I expect you to ensure justice and equity in the collection and distribution”.
Bala Mohammed who used the medium to applaud citizens of the state on their compliance with the partial lockdown attributed it to the successes recorded in the ongoing fight against COVID-19 virus.
In his response on behalf of other members of the committee, Emir of Bauchi (Dr.) Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu who is the Chairman of the Committee pledged to justify the confidence reposed in them as members of the committee and as citizens of the state.
Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu then called on religious and community leaders to assist the government in sensitising their subjects on the need to comply with all the protocols against contraction with the virus.
The Emir said, ” Your Excellency, the outbreak of COVID-19 requires working together to curb and defeat the virus for the safety of all. As Emir of Bauchi, I assure you of our total commitment in this assignment”.
The inauguration of the palliative committee had in attendance, State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela, Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Y Suleiman, Secretary to the state government, Mohammed Sabiu Baba, Chief of staff, Government House Bauchi, Dr Ladan Salihu among others.
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