Ministers Donate 50% March Salary to FG’s COVID-19 Fight

All 43 ministers under the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration have donated 50 percent of their March salaries to support the federal government’s effort to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

This disclosure was made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, on Saturday.

According to Mr Mohammed, the donation was coordinated by the Minister of State for Transportation, Ms Gbemisola Saraki.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Information on Saturday in Abuja, Ms Saraki was quoted as saying that the donation from the ministers was a gesture of solidarity and support for the federal government’s efforts to tackle the disease.

”This global virus outbreak will require nations, continents and smaller communities to pull together to contribute their resources and support one another. This will facilitate an early resolution of the problem,” Ms Saraki was quoted as saying.

The Ministers also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed 11 new cases on Friday. Eight of the cases were discovered in Lagos, while two were discovered in Enugu and one in Edo State.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria as at Saturday was  81, according to the NCDC. Out of which two have been discharged and one dead.

Of the 81 confirmed cases, Lagos has 52, the federal capital territory (FCT) 14, Ogun three and Oyo three. Edo, Bauchi and Enugu states have two cases each while Ekiti, Osun and Rivers states have one case each.

Mr Suleiman Achimugu, former managing director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), is the only casualty from the disease so far. He died on Monday, March 30 after returning to the country from the United Kingdom.