COVID-19: Zulum Inaugurates Committee, Orders Closure of Schools in One Week

COVID-19: Zulum Inaugurates Committee, Orders Closure of Schools in One Week

AREWA AGENDA – Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum has inaugurated a committee to tackle the prevention spread and control of COVID-19 in the State.

The inauguration took place at Musa Usman Secretariat in Maiduguri after the Governor received the technical Response Plan adopted by a multi-stakeholder group.

The group was made up of UN Agencies, federal establishments and affected ministries who met with the Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Wakil, during which they came up with the plan after critical review of the state.

The committee will be headed by the Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Usman Umar Kadafur, while the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Babagana Wakil will be the Vice Chairman and the State Commissioner of Health will act as Secretary.

Swinging into immediate action, the committee charged the State Commissioner of Education and Chairman of the Borno State Universal Education (BOSUBEB) to change academic calendar of all the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions by bringing exams time table backwards so that schools can close within one week instead of the scheduled date in order for the schools to close in two weeks time earlier based on the academic calendar.

Members of the Committee are drawn from senior officials of World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UN-OCHA, IOM, ICRC, international Non-Governmental Organizations (iNGOs) involved in humanitarian interventions in the state.

Others include Heads of Maiduguri International Airport, Nigerian Immigration Service, Borno State Emergency Management Agency and Commissioners for Education, Higher Education, Information, Transport, Finance, Religious Affairs, Local Government and Emirate Affairs.

The committee which has since commenced work is expected to reconvene on Saturday, 28th March, 2020.