Charity they say begins at home, Africa`s richest man, Aliko Dangote is busy grandstanding and exploring how he can score political points with Nigerian ruling cabal by allegedly mobilizing the Nigerian private sector to donate money (One billion naira) each, for COVID-19.
However, his home state, Kano is currently engulfed in a disaster with rising death profile, ostensibly due to COVID-19. The Kano State’s Task Force on Covid-19 is in disarray, several of its key members have gone into quarantine after testing positive for the virus. Thus resulting in a vacuum in leadership, very slow response and testing by the State’s Rapid Response team.
Consequently, there is an increasing fatality particularly among the elderly. While the state government has suspended testing for COVID-19, due to lack of testing kits.
On Monday April 20th, 2020 over 100 people died in Kano from a “strange illness” probably COVID-19.The state teaching hospital, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) has been unable to provide Protective Personal Equipment(PPE) for doctors under its employment.
To this end, the resident doctors, on Monday 20th April 2020, issued a statement, putting the hospital authorities on notice that they will stop seeing patients if they are not provided with adequate PPEs.In February, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) lost two Doctors to Lassa Fever after operating on an infected pregnant patient with out requisite PPEs.
Doctors in the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) who did mot want their name in print, told our reporter that almost 60% of all A&E visits are among adults with symptomatic respiratory infections with increasing fatality in those above 50 years of age.
Interestingly, many cemeteries in the city of Kano have witnessed a beehive of activities, with a steadily increasing burials. Asked about these burials, the state government officials initially denied but later said it would investigate.
Clearly, Kano city is in serious trouble and the political leadership is in dire need of help from the Richest man in Africa, but question is will Aliko Dangote open his vault of abundant resource and help his people or will he tow his usual pattern of being a cheapskate? The world is watching.
