By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated over 20,000 cartons of assorted drugs and medical consumables to the Bauchi State Government for the control of cholera outbreak in the state.
Presenting the drugs to the state government, the commission’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed G. Alkali said the gesture was to support government’s efforts in the prevention of citizens from cholera outbreak.
Alhaji Mohammed Alkali observed that the drugs and medical consumables supplied to the the government will bridge the gap in the state’s cholera outbreak response to curb mortality and spread of the disease.
The managing director said, “There is also a need to focus more on long-term prevention measures such as ensuring clean water and hygiene measures for communities to prevent widespread future outbreaks.”
Alkali disclosed that the commission also trained and graduated 580 youth on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the state and equipped with starter packs.
According to him, the commission has established ICT resource training centres in each of the 6 states of the North East, hosted by tertiary institutions in the states.
“The overall objective is to improve access to ICT resources within the region and equip the teeming youths including those out-of-school across the region with the necessary vocational and educational skills, and tools that can make them self-reliant”, Alkali said.
“It is a highly intensive hands-on programme that takes the selected participants through specialized training in graphic design and smart phone repairs, including basic entrepreneurship development, computer appreciation and bookkeeping for small businesses.”
Receiving the consignment, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed said that his administration is fully committed to the provision of quality and effective healthcare services in the state.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Aminu Gamawa, the governor commended the commission for its humanitarian programmes in the sub-region, and wished that the crop of trained youths would constitute a hope for creativity where they can think freely and have tools to work.
