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Gombe State Government said on Wednesday it had begun reuniting with their families, Quranic Education pupils (Almajiri) received from other states.
Dr Habu Dahiru, the State Commissioner for Education said in Gombe while giving update on COVID-19 that those being reunited with their families had satisfied the conditions laid down by the State Task Force on COVID-19.
Dahiru said the state had received 150 pupils from Bauchi, Kano, Plateau, Nasarawa and Kaduna States.
He said all the pupils returned to the state were quarantined and their samples taken for test, before being discharged or sent to treatment centre for those who tested positive.
According to him, out of the 150 pupils, 22 have been discharged after testing negative for Coronavirus and are now being reunited with their families in their communities.
He said nine of them who tested positive had been taken to the isolation centre in Kwadom, Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of the state.
“Of the 22 discharged and sent home, 11 are from Kwami town in Kwami LGA, while the other 11 are from Dasa in Yamaltu-Deba LGA.
“ We invited the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and handed them over to him, who in turn handed them over to chairmen of their Local Government Areas for onward transmission to their parents,” he said.
Dahiru stated that the those still being quarantined pending the outcome of the results of their tests, were being taken care of properly.
Edited By: Chioma Ugboma (NAN)
The Plateau governnment has relaxed its total lockdown order from midnight of Thursday, April 23, to midnight of Sunday, April 26, to enable people re-stock their homes.
The governor gave the directive in a live broadcast on Thursday in Jos.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the governor, on Wednesday, April 15, extended the total lockdown which began on April 9.
“The total lockdown will be relaxed from midnight of Thursday, April 23, to midnight of Sunday, April 26, to enable people re-stock their homes.
“Thereafter, the total lockdown will resume on Monday, April 27. Details of the next phase of the lockdown will be issued in due course,” he said.
He explained that the extension was also to strengthen the borders to ensure compliance with government directive on closure of all entry and exit routes to the State where CCTVs were already monitoring.
He said that governnment directives on preventive measures on COVID-19 would still remain, listing them to include restrictions to social and religious gatherings and closure of businesses except for food, medicine and gas dealers.
Lalong said that a committee headed by Brig. General Salihu Inusa (rtd) had been set up to immediately profile and return Quranic pupils (Almajiri) to their home states, in view of their vulnerability to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The ‘Almajiri’ system of Islamic education practiced in Northern Nigeria involves minors leaving their homes in search of Islamic knowledge from an Islamic cleric who may send them out to fend for themselves.
Lalong said that the action was in line with resolutions of the Northern Governors Forum meeting on Monday, April 20.
The meeting had resolved to ban the system in the region in order to protect the vulnerable children and further reduce the chances for the spread of the COVID-19.
NAN reports that the Northern Governors resolved to evacaute the children to their parents or states of origin while those living in their states, who do not have parents, would be cared for, by the government.
“We have investigated 231 cases and quarantined 221 people who came in from States with COVID-19 cases in our facilities in Heipang and Mangu. Thirty three others have been discharged from self-isolation.
” Of all the investigated cases, none has been confirmed positive, and we are currently awaiting seven more results,” he said.
He expressed concern that tricycle operators had continuously flaunted governnment directives on the number of passengers they were permitted to carry, warning that such could result in total ban on their operations.
He explained that farmers were exempted from restrictions of movement, but must observe guidelines of social distancing and personal hygiene.
“Farmers, particularly in the rural areas, are exempted from the restrictions, as they are required to go to their farms within their villages now that the rains have started.
“Similarly, those selling fertilizers, insecticides, seeds and other farm essentials are to operate,” he said.
He urged community, religious and political leaders to sensitise people on measures to prevent and contain COVID-19, while discouraging stigmatisation and discrimination on the disease as it was not a death sentence.
The governor said that the Palliative Committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, would commence distribution of what it had so far gathered, to beneficiaries on Saturday, April 25.
He thanked all corporate organisations and individuals for their financial contributions and other donations to the Plateau State COVID-19 Endowment Fund.
