As Lagos begins fumigation of offices for the resumption
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, said the frontline health workers are the heroes of the state’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus declared them the face of his administration’s first anniversary.
Sanwo-Olu stated this in a speech that he delivered in honour of the health workers at the Lagos House, Marina.
He said the gesture was meant to demonstrate his gratitude to the health workers and boost their morale because “they are the real “heroes” having contributed immensely to the success of his administration in the past one year.
“This is our modest way of saying thank you for your sacrificial service, this is our little way of expressing our heartfelt gratitude to you; you deserve this and more.
“We sincerely hope you will even be further motivated to renew your resolve to fight this pandemic with renewed vigour and commitment”, the governor said.
To show his appreciation to the health workers and motivate them, the state had earlier granted them a health insurance cover worth N5 billion and also raised their hazard allowance by 400 per cent.
“As ample as this might seem, it still does not measure up to the sacrifice of these gallant heroes, in view of their daily hazardous exposure to the highly contagious disease.
“Similarly, we identified the need to lift the spirits of these caregivers with melodious tunes. Thus we arranged for a special appearance of Beejay Sax, one of the top-notch saxophonists in the country, at the Infectious Disease Hospital, IDH, Yaba, last Easter Sunday.
“It was meant to serenade these patriotic caregivers and unburden their souls of all forms of fear and anxiety while they were away from their respective families on a delicate assignment.
“As I had noted on that occasion, they deserved to sit in the midst of their family members and feast during that festive period, but the Coronavirus pandemic robbed them of the fun of Easter celebration,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Sanwo-Olu also reminded the health workers and Lagosians that this is not the time to relax. “We are still very much at the battlefront, but we are assured of a resounding victory with the unflinching support of our noble frontline health workers and everyone in the State,” he said.
And as part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Lagos, the Sanwo-Olu administration has commenced the periodic fumigation of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
The initiative, according to the government, was taken in preparation for the full re-opening of offices in the state’s MDAs after the lockdown.
According to a statement signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, the exercise is part of the state’s resumption protocol.
The exercise which commenced on May 25 is expected to end on June 13, and it will be carried out after the close of work on Fridays and weekends.
According to the schedule, the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Wealth Creation & Employment, Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources, Ministry of Home Affairs, Lagos State Liaison Office Annex, Lagos State Valuation Office, Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives and Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority will be fumigated on Saturday, May 30.
Others including the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, State Treasury Office, Ministry of Finance, Office of Finance, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Establishment, Training, and Pensions, Central Business Districts Office, and Motor Vehicle Administration Agency are to be fumigated on Sunday, May 31.
The statement also listed the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Science and Technology, Lagos State Safety Commission, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Office of the Head of Service/PSO, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations Management Services and Reforms Office as well as the Office of Transformation, Creativity, and Innovation will be fumigated on Saturday, June 6.
The last batch of the exercise includes the Land Bureau, Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), JJT Park and the Ndubuisi Kanu Parks, which are to be fumigated on Saturday, June 13.