COVID-19: Osinbajo, governors hold video conference on more palliatives

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the state governors met on Wednesday to discuss more palliatives to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians.

The Special National Economic Council (NEC) meeting which was held via a video conference anchored from the Presidential Villa, Abuja, urged members to increase public enlightenment on the ravaging effects of COVID-19.

The video conference was attended by Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).

Others were the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed and the Director-General of the Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, among several other top officials.

The Committee received the report of its Technical Working Group which proposed an array of policy options and recommendations on how the federal, state and local governments can bring relief to the people and take other adequate measures in containing and responding to the adverse economic effects of the pandemic.

A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said the Special NEC on COVID-19 was working hard to develop additional measures to alleviate the challenges faced by Nigerians because of the implications of the global pandemic in the country.

He said the Committee held its second meeting on Wednesday and it was saddled with the task of coordinating the federal and state governments’ responses to the impact of the disease.

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Akande said: “The NEC Committee received the report of its Technical Working Group which proposed an array of policy options and recommendations on how federal, state and local governments can bring relief to the people and take other adequate measures in containing and responding to the adverse economic effects of the pandemic.

“Speaking at the meeting, the Vice President emphasized the importance of the assignment and the urgency required, asking that public enlightenment and sensitization on the seriousness of the pandemic should be further intensified at all government levels so that more and more Nigerians would become aware of the compelling and critical dimensions of the situation.”

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