Breaking News
Login
Pan African Visions

Nigerian Senators will Donate 50% of Salaries for COVID-19 Fight until country is declared Coronavirus-free

April 02, 2020

By Amos Fofung

Senators in the federal republic of Nigeria have agreed to contribute 50% of their salaries to support the efforts being made to contain the spread and treatment of COVID-19 victims in the country. 

Over 140 confirmed cases have been reported in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy.

Acting Spokesman of the Senate, Godiya Akwashiki, made public the decision adding that the contributions by senators will only end after the country has been declared free of the deadly coronavirus.

“This monthly contribution from the Upper Legislative Chamber will be sustained until the country is declared free from the deadly virus.

“The Senate commends efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari and the administration towards securing our nation against this plague. The Senate is willing and ready to do whatever is required for the effectiveness of the measures in place now or that may be required in future to win the fight against this menace.

“The Senate commends all agencies at the Federal and state levels for working together to protect public health in the country. It also acknowledges the patriotic response of public-spirited individuals and organizations’, who have contributed in one way or the other to support this fight,” the statement reads.

This comes after the federal government of Nigerian approved a 10 billion Naira grant (about $27 million) to fight the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the country.

Nigerian and some organizations, including banks, have also donated billions of Naira to help fund medical centers and provide essential materials necessary to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The United Bank for Africa, UBA, announced a donation of 5 billion Naira (about $13 million) to provide beds for isolation centers, intensive care unit facilities and direct access to medical advice to up to 450,000 citizens every day.

Some billionaires among them, Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Herbert Wigwe, Segun Agbaje and Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, all contributed 1 billion Naira (about $2.7 million) each to support the government in curtailing the pandemic as Nigeria gears up in its fight against the pandemic.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pan African Visions
Development bank for Central African States disburse 90 Billion FCFA to circumvent economic impact of Coronavirus
April 02, 2020 Prev
Pan African Visions
Africa: From Chatbots to Online Markets, Africans Fight COVID-19
April 03, 2020 Next