Zamfara Govt direct officials to stay in own communities to fight disease

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Abdullahi Shinkafi, made this known to newsmen in Gusau on Tuesday.

Shinkafi said the order affected commissioners, senior aides to the governor, permanent secretaries and chief executive officers of MDAs, among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that meningitis, which first manifested in Gora ward of Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area of the state about two months ago, had now spread to all the 14 local government areas of the state.

The state government had set up a five-member committee, a rapid response team and 224 teams of six vaccinators each in an effort to contain the disease.

The SSG explained that the directive asked all executive council members, special assistants, directors-general and other top political office holders and government officials to join their respective local government meningitis control committees and contribute their part in order to curb the disease from further spread.

He said each of the 14 local government councils had been directed to contribute N3 million while the state government would also give its contribution to augment the fund in order to facilitate the purchase, distribution and administration of drugs in addition to meeting other logistics.

He said even though 215 persons were said to have died as a result of the outbreak, the state government was on top of the situation and assured that the disease would be contained.