May 10, 2020 (NAN) The Nasarawa State Government has appealed to health and other striking local government workers to return to work to help in the fight against COVID-19.
Mr Dogo Shammah, the State Commissioner for Information, made the appeal in Akwanga on Sunday after visiting the border areas between Nasarawa/Plateau and Kaduna States to monitor the level of COVID-19 compliance along the roads.
Shammah said that if health workers returned to their places of primary assignments, it would go a long way in tackling the health challenges posed by COVID-19 and other diseases in the state.
The commissioner expressed concern about the absence of health personnel at the border areas of the state due to the ongoing strike embarked upon by local government staff.
According to him, I am appealing to the striking workers to reverse their decision and return to work to save the state from the pandemic.
“The absence of health workers at the borders is dangerous, especially at this time of COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am at the border areas of Nasarawa/Kaduna and Plateau states to see things for myself in order to correct any abnormality if discovered.
“His Excellency, Gov. Abdullahi Sule is doing his best to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
“The government has taken certain decisions such as stay-at -home directive, partial lockdown of some local government areas, and use of face masks by residents, among others
“This is in the interest of the health of our people and to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country,” he said.
Shammah urged the citizens of the state and other Nigerians to adhere strictly to the preventive measures against COVID-19 in order to curtail the spread of the virus in the country.
“We will continue to advise our people and other Nigerians to observe social distance, avoid over-crowded environment, wash their hands frequently in order to curtail the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that local government workers, had declared a seven-day warning strike with effect from May 7 to May 14, 2020.
The striking workers, among other things, are demanding for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all health facilities in the state and stoppage of percentage payment forthwith at the local governments in the state.
