From: Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government has announced that the Monkeypox disease had been mitigated in the state through the efforts of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital Nigeria (NDUTH) Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) and officials of the Bayelsa state Ministry of Health.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, who gave an update of the viral ‘MonkeyPox’ disease after the State Executive Council meeting, said the disease has been curtailed in Bayelsa state.
While urging residents to still be very vigilante, Etebu disclosed that the government’s dedicated health teams were still carrying out surveillance to ensure that the disease did not spread.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Information, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, had shed more light on the ‘ContrimanDirect’ platform which was launched before the start of the SEC meeting.
According to him, the platform offers Bayelsans a rare opportunity to have direct access to Governor Seriake Dickson via telephone and on different social media channels to report any incident that urgently needs the attention of government.
Iworiso-Markson said, “We want to urge our people to take advantage of the lines and reach out to the governor to report events happening around them. It is a golden opportunity for Bayelsans to have direct access to the governor”.
Gov. Dickson while flagging off the new initiative said it is first of its kind in the country, explaining that it is a form of whistle blowing that will expose lots of wrongs especially within the state civil service
Meanwhile the Bayelsa State Government has approved the award of two contracts in the power sector as part of its ongoing ‘Operation Light Up Bayelsa’ programme.
Commissioner for Power, Partner Jim-Ogbolo who disclosed this said contracts are the construction of a power line between Sagbama and Ekeremor and the establishment of five megawatts station at Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.
According to him the council arrived at the decision following its desire to connect all the communities in the state to the national grid which is also in line with the massive rural electrification project it embarked on.
“The government is very passionate about connecting all our communities to the national grid. We want sufficient power in all nooks and crannies of the state and this is mainly for the purpose of industrialization which the governor is seriously pursuing”.