The Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has released fresh N620 million to address the deadly coronavirus.
This was made known in a statement on Friday by Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, special adviser on media and communication to Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance
Naija News recalls that the Federal Ministry of Health had last week confirmed the first case of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, confirmed the case in a statement issued in the early hours of Friday, February 28, 2020, saying that the case involves an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and just returned from Milan, Italy on the 25th of February 2020.
The virus has since been confirmed in seven African countries and at least 97 countries globally.
Speaking on the release and approval of the funds by President Muhammadu Buhari, Abdullahi said the first tranche of N364 million was earlier released, making a total of N984 million released to tackle the virus.
He said: “The approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for the release of funds to tackle COVID-19 was an emergency and the process of releasing the fund was also an emergency as it was an unexpected expenditure.
“However, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning had released the first tranche of N364 million sometime ago and the process of releasing the second tranche has been concluded with the release of N620 million this morning, bringing total release to N984 million.
“Responding to a media enquiry yesterday, the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, promised that the second tranche of the needed fund would be released today, which has been done, keeping to the promise.”
