Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has inaugurated a sixty-six member palliative committee as part of the efforts of his administration to cushion the effect of COVID-19 in the state.
Inaugurating the committee at the Command’s Guest House, Bauchi, Bala Mohammed said members of the committee were drawn from the political class, religious and community leaders, business community, seasoned administrators, union leaders, philanthropists, among others.
The Governor took time to mention terms of reference of the committee to include sourcing for assistance in kind and cash from well-meaning members of the public, corporate organizations, government agencies, and international donors.
He also tasked the members to bring their wealth of knowledge and experience to ensure effective discharge of their assigned responsibilities.
” Your Royal Highness, this committee is 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.
” We feel that curbing the scourge of Coronavirus requires involvement of people of caliber and capacity like you so that you can help us in our administrative capacity to make sure we provide succor in terms of palliation to the people that may be affected by some of the task policies that we have 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 disease, and we must work together to tackle this.”
” 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 if we come up with total lockdown, but for now, even if we have not gone for a total lockdown, this is the month of Ramadan, we should distribute what we have.
” As a government, we are making our contribution through the Basket fund. This committee is about Bauchi issue; it is not partisan issue. I expect you to ensure justice and equity in the collection and distribution.
The Governor 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.
The Emir of Bauchi (Dr.) Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu who is the Chairman of the Committee, also pledged to justify the confidence reposed in them as members of the committee and as citizens of the state.
He called on religious and community leaders to assist the government in sensitizing their subjects on the need to comply with all the protocols.
The inauguration of the palliative committee had in attendance, State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela, Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Abubakar Suleiman, Secretary to the State Government, Mohammed Sabiu Baba, Chief of staff, Government House Bauchi, Dr Ladan Salihu, among others.