Team to Monitor Borders, Take awareness to Markets,
Distribute Palliatives to Society,
Seek Cooperation of Traditional Rulers
In a bid to intensify the steps to curtail the transmission of the deadly coronavirus in the State , the Kwara State Government, in partnership with the National Youths’ Council of Nigeria, today inaugurated the Covid-19 Kwara Youth Response Team.
The team, which was constituted to serve as the youths’ arm of the State’s Technical Committee on Covid-19, is to complement the various anti-coronavirus efforts being put in place by the State Government, and will further be replicated across the Sixteen Local Government Areas in the State.
The Committee is primarily to create awareness on the reality of the pandemic and prevent inter-state contacts believed to be engendering the spread of the infection by properly monitoring all the twelve (12) land and the two (2) sea borders across the State.
Flagging off the Team, the Deputy-Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi, represented by Dr. Michael Oguntoye, pointed out the exigency of public enlightenment on the ravaging disease, noting that it is unfortunate that many people still believe that coronavirus is a myth.
Commending the doggedness of the Kwara State Government in tackling the spread of the infection, Mr. Alabi stressed that more than eighty percent of the cases in the State are imported, thereby emphasising the urgent need to beef up adequate security round the State’s borders.
The Deputy-Governor observed that the challenge of insecurity around the borders is what the Team will now be taking up, commending the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, and the Kwara State Chapter of the National Youths’ Council of Nigeria for the initiative.
In his sermon-like speech at the gathering, the Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Prof. Mamman Saba Jibril, sensitised the members of the Committee to regard the youthful period as a time of action, counselling them to always adhere to the pieces of advice by the elderly people and make sure they use their prime time judiciously to prepare for the future by engaging in productive ventures.
He then called on them to use their energy to fight the enemy of the globe called “coronavirus”.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Deputy Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Raphael Olanrewaju Adetiba, described the youths as the engine of every society without which the society cannot thrive, applauding the Committee for following suit and charging the members to aim at outstanding performance.
Honourable Adetiba then wished the Committee safe and successful operations.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Hon. Joana Nnazua Kolo, posited that youths have enormous roles to perform in order to drive in development for their respective societies, evaluating that the youths in the State have been playing the role of being a catalyst for the progress and development of the State.
She further noted that the inauguration of the Covid-19 Kwara Response Team is timely and appropriate now that the task to eliminate the pandemic must be achieved.
Welcoming the participants to the gathering, the Chairman, Kwara State Chapter of the National Youths” Council of Nigeria, Comr. Alli Nasir Yusuf, said that among the tasks of the Team are to take awareness to markets, distribute palliatives to society especially the youths and seek the cooperation of traditional rullers across the State to ensure successful operations of the Team.
The committee members inaugurated today included Rt.Hon. Bamikole Oladele Babs(Chairman), Comr. Arinde Olusola Gabriel (Secretary), Comr. Abdullateef, Comr. Fawoye Tope Olaitan, Bar. Soliu Ismail, Comr. Yinka Daramola, Comr. Adeoye Adedotin Adeola, Afolabi Joy Abosede, Comr. Abdullahi Yusuf, Comr. Jimoh S. Abdulganiyu, Comr. Ayinde Wahab, Mrs. Olukemi Sanni (from NTA) and Mr. Toyin Saheed (Sobi FM).
Also in attendance were the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bar. Iyabo Banire, the Director of Youth Development, Alhaja Aishat Mohammed, the Chairman, Deputy Director, Youth Development, Mr. Abdullakeem Abdulsalam, Kwara State Chapter of the National Youths’ Council of Nigeria, Comr. Alli Nasir Yusuf and others.
Dr. Sangodare Ayinla,
Press Secretary,
Ministry of Sports and Youth Development
