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COVID-19 pandemic: A monumental disaster unfolding in Kano

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By Usman Yusuf

1. There is a disaster currently unfolding in Kano with rising death rates particularly among the elderly that is not getting the National attention it deserves.

2. While some may explain this increasing death rates to the lack of medical care for the chronically ill due to the lockdown (which in any case is poorly observed and enforced in Kano), we should not forget that these same preexisting medical conditions make the elderly more vulnerable to infection and death by Covid-19

3. Kano, the most populous city in Nigeria will if urgent measures are not taken now, become the epicenter of Covid-19 pandemic in the African continent.

4. I have always believed that based on the epidemiology of the virus, the population dynamics, negative socioeconomic factors, the state of healthcare and infrastructure in the city, Kano alone will have more positive cases than the whole country put together. But, because we were not testing, we did not find. We are now seeing more cases because the test center in Kano started working just two weeks ago.

5. On Monday April 20th, 2020, there was a news scroll on National Television Authority (NTA) captioned “100 people died in Kano from a strange illness”. Really?, what illness can be stranger than Covid-19 at this moment in our history, I asked?

6. Print and social media are also replete with hysterical headlines about the rising fatalities in the city.

7. There are first hand reports from many cemeteries in the city of steadily increasing burials which the state government initially denied but later said it would investigate.

8. Doctors in the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of the major teaching hospital in the city report that recently, almost 60% of all A&E visits are among adults with symptomatic respiratory infections with increasing fatality in those above 50 years of age.

9. To worsen things, most of the hospitals in the state are currently only partially functioning due to fear and uncertainty among healthcare workers who know very well that the hospitals can not cope with sick Covid-19 patients that will soon be coming.

10. The tragedy is that healthcare workers who are in the frontline and exposed daily to the mortal danger of this virus are not provided with any form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

11. About two months ago, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) lost two brilliant Doctors in the prime of their lives and careers to Lassa Fever after operating on an infected pregnant patient.

12. This is the reason that the AKTH Chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors issued a statement on 20th April 2020 putting the hospital authorities on notice that they will stop seeing patients if they are not provided with adequate PPEs.

13. These Doctors are right in their demands which are enshrined and protected by the WHO rights of healthcare workers taking care of patients in any pandemic.

14. Doctors took an oath to protect and preserve lives not to commit suicide which is what knowingly seeing a Covid-19 patient without PPE will be.

15. Nigerians as a people should salute, speak up for, and protect our healthcare workers. These selfless men and women, some of the best among us are in the frontline all across the nation putting their lives on the line for us in this existential battle against this unseen enemy .

16. Sadly, the Kano State’s Task Force on Covid-19 is in disarray since several of its key members went into quarantine after testing positive for the virus, this vacuum in leadership has resulted in the very slow response and testing by the State’s Rapid Response team resulting in increasing fatality particularly among the elderly.

17. It is the socioeconomic consequences of this pandemic that scares me more than the virus itself. How well it is handled now will determine this outcome. Clearly, Kano city is in serious trouble and the political leadership is in dire need of help from the Federal government, it’s citizens and the whole nation.

18. A wise man once said “When disaster strikes, it tears the curtain away from the festering problems that we have beneath them,”

19. I call on the Federal government to act now with all sense of urgency by mobilizing resources to Kano to achieve the following remedies before it is too late.

(a). Humane but strict enforcement of Social Distancing measures

(b). Provision of foodstuffs and palliatives to enable people to stay at home

(c). Aggressive case finding by increasing testing and isolating those found positive

(d). Provision of adequate PPEs to healthcare workers

(e). Provision of adequate Drugs & Consumables to hospitals

(f). Provision of more hospital & ICU bed spaces

(g). Provision of Ventilators to hospitals

(h). Employment of more healthcare workers like Nurses and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWS) to assist in contact tracing

(I). Aggressive public education

(j). All deaths should be reported and swabs taken for Covid-19 before burials

(k). Active engagement of Traditional, Religious and community leaders

20. WE ALL HAVE A DUTY TO PULL TOGETHER AND LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER AT THIS TRYING TIME

Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation

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“As You Sow, So Shall You Reap”: Imam Reminds Muslims of Divine Justice

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

Imam Nura Garba Mato has urged Muslims to remain conscious of their actions, saying that divine reward and punishment often correspond to the nature of people’s deeds.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that the imam made the call while delivering a Friday sermon at Jami’u Ansar wal Muhajirun Jumaa Mosque, Cotton Ginnery Layout, Zawaciki, Kano State.

 

The sermon, titled “Al-Jazā’u Min Jinsil-‘Amal” (Recompense Is According to the Nature of Deeds), focused on the Islamic teaching that people’s actions have consequences and that good deeds attract divine reward.

 

Imam Mato said Allah had established enduring principles in human life that do not change, urging Muslims to understand these principles and allow them to guide their conduct.

 

He explained that one of these principles was that recompense corresponds to the nature of one’s actions, stressing the importance of living righteously and fulfilling one’s responsibilities to Allah and fellow human beings.

 

The imam called on Muslims to observe *taqwa* (consciousness of Allah), remain steadfast in their faith and follow the teachings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

 

He also highlighted the importance of helping people in difficulty, easing the burdens of others and showing compassion to fellow Muslims.

 

Quoting a prophetic tradition, the imam emphasised that whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship in this world will receive relief from Allah on the Day of Resurrection.

 

He further explained that whoever conceals the faults of a fellow Muslim would receive Allah’s concealment of their faults on the Day of Resurrection, while those who make things easier for people in difficulty would receive Allah’s assistance in this world and the Hereafter.

 

The sermon also underscored the importance of supporting others, noting that a Muslim’s relationship with Allah should be reflected in their treatment of fellow human beings.

 

Imam Mato urged Muslims to reflect on their deeds and recognise that their conduct carries consequences, encouraging them to embrace good actions, assist those in need and uphold the teachings of Islam in their daily lives.

 

He stressed that Muslims should make righteousness, compassion and service to others central to their lives in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure and success in the Hereafter.

 

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Kano Govt Orders Retired Civil Servants to Vacate Offices, Hand Over Government Property

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

The Kano State Government has directed all civil servants who have attained their statutory retirement age or completed the required length of service to immediately vacate their offices and hand over government property in their possession.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that the directive was contained in Circular issued on Tuesday by the Establishment Directorate, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Kano State.

 

The circular, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Abba A. Danguguwa, on behalf of the Head of Civil Service, was titled: “Unauthorized Continuance in Service After Statutory Retirement by Civil Servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government – Call for Immediate Handing Over of Official Documents, Properties.”

 

The government said it had observed that some civil servants continued to remain in office and operate in official capacities after reaching their statutory retirement period.

 

According to the circular, such conduct was a “negation to the reputation of the Civil Service of Kano State,” noting that the service had a long-standing tradition of ensuring seamless transition by retiring civil servants.

 

It described the continued stay in service after retirement as a direct infraction and aberration of relevant provisions of the State Civil Service Rules and other applicable service regulations.

 

The government stressed that it was legally and administratively untenable for any officer to remain in service or perform official functions beyond the statutory limit.

 

Consequently, all civil servants who had retired either by age or length of service were directed to immediately exit and hand over all official documents, government property and duties to their immediate subordinates in their respective ministries, departments and agencies.

 

The circular also directed all Accounting Officers, including Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives, as well as Directors of Administration and Personnel Management, to ensure strict and immediate compliance with the directive.

 

It warned that any officer found aiding, abetting or condoning the continued stay of a retired officer in service would face appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.

 

The directive takes immediate effect, the circular stated.

 

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Kano Settles N32bn Pension, Gratuity Liabilities, Says Gov Yusuf

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf says his administration has settled approximately N32 billion out of the N48 billion inherited backlog of gratuities and related liabilities owed to retirees in the state.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that Gov Yusuf disclosed this on Thursday while addressing residents at the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium in Kano.

 

The governor said the government had also sustained the regular payment of monthly pensions while increasing the minimum monthly pension from N5,000 to N20,000.

 

He said the welfare of workers and pensioners remained a priority of his administration, citing timely payment of salaries, improved remuneration and measures aimed at strengthening the public service.

 

According to him, the state has maintained the practice of paying workers’ salaries on or before the 25th of every month while implementing the N71,000 minimum wage for civil servants.

 

Gov Yusuf also said his administration was sponsoring public servants for professional training, including programmes at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), to strengthen their administrative and leadership capacity.

 

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building a professional and motivated workforce, while ensuring that the contributions and sacrifices of serving workers and retirees were recognised and treated with dignity.

 

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