By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Government on Friday distributed COVID-19 First Aid kits to some non formal learning centres in the state under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programmeSpeaking at the distribution of the First Aid kits, Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB), Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran said the gesture was part of the Oyo state government efforts at ensuring rapid response to emergency situations at its learning centres.
Dr Adeniran stressed that the Board will not rest on its oars towards ensuring that centres are given required support within BESDA provisions and that the distribution of the kits was to guarantee necessary first aid treatment when required and prevent avoidable death, while the BESDA programme goes on in the State.
According to the Oyo SUBEB Chairman, the Board is concerned about promotion of safety and hygienic practice in non-formal learning centres, as this will make learners secure and enhance their capacity on compliance to covid-19 protocols.
” In view of the nature of the non-formal learning settings, we deem it very significant to equip these centres with first aid kits and covid-19 safety materials because of the children”, he said.
Dr. Adeniran added that the first aid kits would ease the treatment of injuries and sudden illness before the arrival of professional medical care, admonishing the centres to utilise the kits while they comply with covid-19 protocols.
The Oyo SUBEB Chairman maintained that the kits, which would be supplied in phases to the learning centres, could be used to take care of small wounds, sprain, minor burns and fractures.
Emphasizing that the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration is committed to the general well-being of learners in the State, Dr Adeniran stressed that 250 centres will benefit in the first phase, while other centres will be reached out to in the second phase.
He however pointed out that Oyo State Government is fully committed to the struggle of returning all out-of-school children back to school, and that they must access free basic and qualitative education.
The BESDA Consultant, Professor Dupe Adelabu in her remarks described the provision of the kits as a display of the State Government’s passion for the provision of optimum health care delivery in the state.
Professor Adelabu enjoined beneficiaries to judiciously utilise the kits provided, stressing that the kits were safe and easy to use as they contained only non- prescribed drugs that could be purchased over the counter.
The Co-ordinator, Arabic Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Alh. Monsuru Abdulsalam who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to the state government for its efforts at making life more meaningful for the people.
