The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state government has finalised plans with four telecommunication companies to create a social register of at least 125,000 people in the state who make up the most vulnerable households that are in need of relief in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The governor, disclosed this during the 2020 edition of The Platform, tagged, “Nigeria’s Battle Against COVID-19: The Journey So Far”, organised by the Covenant Nation.
The governor, who maintained that the state government has a robust governance structure to manage the outbreak of the virus, said with the register, the state would work with banks to create digital wallets for the vulnerable persons.
According to him, “Edo State is creating a social register with 4 telecommunication companies to identify 125,000 people who need relief. With this, we will work with the banks to create digital wallets.”
The governor added that the state government has ensured that the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is scientific and data-driven, which is why it has deployed resources to ensure that a clear sense of the spread of the virus in the state is ascertained.
He noted that the state has set a target to screen and test 500,000 and 5000 persons respectively, adding that the efforts to contain the virus in the state is being managed through a Response Team that meets every day to ensure swift, proactive actions to stem the spread of the virus in the state.
Obaseki said the state government is distributing relief materials to over 190,000 persons in vulnerable households across the state in partnership with religious leader, traditional rulers and community partners, and that the process is being monitored by civil society groups and journalists in the state.
With 65 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, the state government is ramping up contact tracing in 400 communities with over 75,000 persons screened through Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and mobile post screening centres, which move across wards in local government areas across the state.
