Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Kano State Government has approved the release of N344, 671, 368 million as its tripartite funding for the 2018 routine immunisation against poliomyelitis virus in the state.
Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture , Comrade Mohammed Garba, disclosed this, on Tuesday, during a press briefing.
He said that the amount represented a share of its tripartite agreement entered between the government, the Dangote Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a bid to combat and wipe out the virus from the state.
According to him, the decision to release the fund was approved at the weekly executive council meeting held on February 5.
“You can see that we are doing a lot in the fight against the virus. For the past three years, there has been no record of the outbreak of polio in the state. The state government and the ministry of health is working very hard in this direction,” he insisted.
Recalling a recent video teleconferencing among the trio for the 2017 Health Goals and Objectives, Garba disclosed that the state was commended by the Dangote Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the recorded success in the fight against diseases like polio, tuberculosis, eradication of HIV/AIDS, malaria, measles and other child killer diseases.
According to him, the sum of N126, 710, 400 million had also been approved to the Office of Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to offset the 2016/2017/2018 tuition fees and allowances of students of Kano State origin on scholarship at Mansoura University, in Egypt.
Garba continued, “I must emphasise that Governor Ganduje is passionate on the welfare of our students studying abroad. This is why he has never relented in ensuring that they have all the resources they need to concentrate on their studies.
“I was in Sudan two weeks ago with the Executive Secretary of the State Scholarship Board to pay the 2018 tuition fees and allowances of our students studying in that country. By the grace of God, I will soon be in Egypt to conclude the payment of our students there,” he stated.