GOV IFEANYI OKOWA INAUGURATES TEMPORARY ISOLATION AND TREATMENT CENTER AT THE STEPHEN KESHI STADIUM ASABA

Asaba -

The state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa at the weekend of June 13 2020 received and inaugurated the donated NNPC/AGIP Joint  Venture COVID-19 Temporary isolation and treatment centre, sited at the Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba.

Government House Asaba Correspondent Marian Nweke reports that the seventy bed space Isolation centre had been under construction since the 13th of May 2020 and  has been completed with the  necessary facilities and equipment in place before the hand over to the Delta state Government.

Governor Ifeanyi  Okowa while  inaugurating the medical facility, emphasized on the need for Oil Companies to keep the people in the areas of operations healthy as the state Government had  put in place measures to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic in the state .

Governor Okowa who applauded the donors of the medical infrastructure for their initiative and commitment towards containing coronavirus disease, said that the gesture would help in mitigating the spread of the virus in the State.

The Governor harped on the need for more test kits to be provided across the country for quick identification of coronavirus patients, pointing out that with more testing facilities, identified patients would be isolated while contact tracing would be carried out to checkmate the spread of the disease in the State.

He  commended the NNPC and its Joint Venture Partners for working to establish Health facilities in the State and  appealed to the management of NNPC not to consider moving the Nigerian Gas Company from the state.

Speaking at the event, the Minister for state Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, represented by Garba Mohammed said the negative  impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Nation's  economy is huge , emphasizing the need for the utilisation of the joint Venture intervention fund.

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Mele  Kyari, had in his speech, thanked Governor Okowa for the proactive steps taken by his administration to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state, adding that the provision of the temporary isolation centre was due to the urgent medical challenges posed by the corona virus disease.

Mr. Kyari disclosed that 21 billion  naira was set aside to support  the fight against COVID-19 by the oil firms, adding that the NNPC would build a permanent  diagnostic centre in Delta State.

In an address read by the Deputy Manager, Social Project, Mr. Chinedu Ajabor, the Managing Director of Nigeria Agip Oil Company, Mr. Lorenzo Fiorillo noted that defeating COVID-19 scourge at this critical moment, calls for concerted, collective and sustainable effort through collaboration between government and the private sector.

The inauguration of the Temporary  isolation and treatment centre at the Stephen Keshi stadium Asaba brings the number of holding and treatment centres for the COVID-19 cases in the state to a total number of six.