COVID-19: Sen Bamidele donates N10m in Ekiti

As the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi seeks concerted efforts to ward off Coronavirus in the state, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has donated a sum of N10 million to combat the scourge  in Ekiti State.

Bamidele, who is representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, said the National Assembly caucus, as partners in progress,  must coalesce efforts with Governor Fayemi, “at this trying period to safeguard the populace from affliction and untimely death.”

Disclosing this while interacting with journalists in Ado Ekiti through his Senior Legislative Aide, Mr Bunmi Oguntuase, on Wednesday, the federal lawmaker averred that the patriotic zeal was an additional step being taken after the 109 Senators had resolved to donate half of their monthly salaries to the National COVID-19 account starting from March until the challenge is subdued.

The Senator disclosed that the gesture was part of the resolve of the National Assembly members of Ekiti extraction to join in taming the pandemic ravaging over 140 nations globally.

He added that it was also geared towards palliating the sufferings of the poor masses under the total lockdown declared by government through the provision of food and relief materials.

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When asked how the federal lawmakers from  Ekiti intended to join the fray against Coronavirus, he said: “Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has started by donating  a sum of N10m to fight the scourge. Other federal lawmakers from Ekiti will definitely do something in a matter of days as well.”

Giving the breakdown of the financial help, Bamidele’s Aide said : “A sum of  N5m was paid into the State’s COVID-19 account while the remaining N5m  would go into the centrally coordinated food drive initiative specifically targeted at the vulnerable population in his senatorial district.”

He said Bamidele decided  to distribute food and medical needs to the people of his  senatorial district in a non-partisan fashion that conforms to the centrally coordinated and credible approach that would not undermine or violate the social distancing rule of the State Government.

“This is not the time for anybody to grandstand or politicise whatever help he can offer to our people. I am appealing to other illustrious leaders, sons and daughters of Ekiti to join hands with the State government by contributing sacrificially to the COVID-19 account to augment what government can mobilise.

“The House of Representatives members and Senators from Ekiti had since last week been distributing  hand sanitizers, handwashing soaps and buckets in their various constituencies.

“This came barely  24 hours after Governor  Fayemi’s statewide broadcast where he  appealed to well-meaning Ekiti Stakeholders to join hands  in waging  war against Coronavirus.

“This underscored the fact that the cord of unity among public officials remains strong and such strength was being deployed to develop human capital resources of our dear state,” he said.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE