The Government of Edo state on Wednesday received a N2 million worth donation of Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE) meant to protect the body from injury or infection as the fight against the corona virus pandemic intensifies in the country, reports Wole Opatola.
The protective equipment which is meant to eliminate physical, electrical, heat, chemical, airborne particulate matter and other bio hazards was donated to the Edo state government by a Uk based Nigerian Family Physician and C.E.O. of Spem Quia Filii Foundation, Dr Otamere Patrick Uwubanmwen.
Making the presentation at the Edo State Government House, Dr Otamere Uwubanmwen, a MBBS graduate of University of Benin and Msc graduate of University of Lagos, declared that he is not only happy to make the donations to Nigeria but he is also proud to contribute to the development of his own state and region.
“I have been involved in the donation of N35 million worth PPE to about 16 teaching hospitals in Nigeria including the University of Benin as a member of Doctors For Change ( DFC). The Edo state Governor personally wrote to me and as a response to his call, I am making these personal donations out of the love for state and country”, declared the member of the UK, Nigeria Diaspora consortium and MRCS Edinburgh.
In his own remarks, the Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu who received the equipment on behalf of the Government and people of the state, the donation is one of a kind and a gesture to be emulated by other well meaning Nigerians and Edo indigenes home and abroad.
“We have a lot of you out there that we want to use the occassion of this presentation to call upon them to come out and support the state response team as we continue in the quest to develop the state. We are delighted to receive all these from you and this donation will go a long way in helping to fill the gaps in the health sector. These are consumables and they are needed in our everyday battle against the spread of the corona virus and it is actually gestures like this that assists the government as we alone cannot do it all” revealed a visibly elated Edo Deputy Governor.
The donations by doctor Otamere Patrick Uwubanmwen which consists PPE like face shields, face masks, hand gloves and much more, couldn’t have come at a better time as Edo state is expected to play host to almost 9,000 athletes and officials in a couple of days as the National Sports Festival, Edo 2020 in 2021 kicks off with all 36 states of the federation in attendance and the equipment are expected to be deployed to effective use according to the covid-19 guidelines by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC) and the Presidential Task Force ( PTF) during the games.