Oyo state Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akinola Ojo, on Tuesday disclosed that the state government has spent over N2.7 billion in its ongoing fight against COVID-19.
Ojo made this known while addressing correspondents on Tuesday at the governor’s office shortly after the weekly state executive council meeting held at the Agodi government, Ibadan, the state capital.
Mr Ojo gave the breakdown of the expenses as N900.5 million for the purchase of COVID-19 palliatives and seedlings; N370.6 million for the upgrade of the infectious diseases centre, Olodo; N453.7 million to secure Oyo state borders, security trucks and personnel; N118 million to support the University College Hospital, Ibadan, for COVID-19 tests.
The Commissioner added that N614.7million was spent on testing, kits, consumables; while N321.2 million was expended on buying ambulances and that of N156 million has been set aside for volunteers who will each receive 15,000 hazard allowance from June, backdated to March.
On the contributions from well-meaning individuals and institutions, in cash and gift items, the commissioner put it at N1.2 billion, and N378.1 million was cash donation, which he said was still intact in the state COVID-19 endowment account.
On the donation from the federal government, the commissioner said the state had assurance that it would get N100 million from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and that the state also got a donation from CACOVID to the tune of N250 million.
