NIMASA donates 20 ventilators, N50m to fight Covid-19 in Nigeria
Samson Echenim is business a.m. correspondent providing coverage for maritime, aviation, travels and hospitality. A former business correspondent at the Punch and Leadership newspapers, he has a vast experience in business reporting. Samson can be reached on samhapp2000@yahoo.com and +2348037363024
As part of efforts to support concerted national aid against the dreaded coronavirus, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA Sunday said it had donated 20 ventilators and N50 million to fight the pandemic in Nigeria.
Bashir Jamoh, director general of the agency, said out of N50 million, N30 million would go to the Federal Government Committee on COVID-19 Intervention, while N20 million was given to aid the Lagos State government’s effort to control the spread of the virus.
Jamoh in a statement on Sunday said NIMASA had also volunteered its six fast intervention vessels to be committed to facilitate transport logistics support in the maritime sector, just as volunteers from the agency would be deployed to join first responders from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Lagos and other states in managing the spread of the pandemic.
The ventilators are equipments that assist patients in breathing, a process sometimes referred to as artificial respiration, which are basically needed at this time to help fight the disease.
Coronavirus cases stood at 97, with one death and six discharged as at Sunday March 29 in Nigeria, as global figures climbed to 600,000 cases with 30,000 deaths.
“The coronavirus pandemic is upon humanity. It came suddenly upon a virtually unprepared world, and demands drastic actions from all and sundry to contain the virus and salvage our common humanity. We are concerned about the effect of the pandemic on the socio-economic life of the country, especially at a time NIMASA, Nigeria’s maritime industry regulator, is driving a Blue Economy campaign, to make maritime a key part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic diversification agenda,” Jamoh was quoted in the statement signed by Isichei Osamgbi, deputy director, Public Relations.
The agency has also volunteered four fully equipped brand new Ambulances, four Hilux trucks and four 36 seater coaster buses to support and facilitate land based logistics in the Federal capital Territory, Lagos, Delta, Rivers, Cross River and Kaduna States.
Other medical equipment the Agency donated to enhance the fight against the COVID 19 in Nigeria include, 60 Beds, 20 Patient ICU Monitors, 20 Oxygen Concentrator, 10 Infusion pump, 10 Syringe pump, 20 Oxygen giving set, 10 Suction machine and 100 set of personal Protective Equipment PPE.
“This is our little contribution to aid the robust efforts of the Federal and State governments to fight the virus. It is our token of love, concern for Nigerians and a gesture of appreciation to the authorities’ proactive measures in this collective fight against a common enemy. Jamoh added.