By Maureen Okon :NAN

Nigerians in Diaspora Support Group has donated Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) worth N48 million to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF).

Amb. Zubairu Dada, the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, alongside Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, CEO/Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), presented the items on behalf of the group to the task force in Abuja.

Receiving the PPE, the PTF Chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha, who was represented by Mr Olusegun Adeyemi, the Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, applauded NiDCOM Chief for spearheading the galvanisation of the donation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PPE included re-useable coveralls with shoe cover, face masks, face shields, hand glovers, gowns, N95 masks, aprons and masks.

Dada said that the donation was made to support the Federal Government efforts by the Nigerians Diaspora COVID-19 Support Group.

He added that the group was made up of well-meaning Nigerians living abroad from “Africa, Europe, United States, Canada and Asia”.

He acknowledged the contributions made by the Nigerians in Diaspora, urging them never to forget home.

According to him, the aim of the group is to provide a platform for Nigerians in Diaspora, irrespective of their diaspora affiliation in order to develop appropriate strategic areas of diaspora interventions, during pandemic or human crises in Nigeria.

“They, therefore, decided to come together to mobilise funds to procure PPE for frontline medical and paramedical staff at the Federal Teaching Hospitals across the 36 States and FCT.

“Also in a state where there is no federal teaching hospital to donate to the federal medical centr in the state will get the donation.

“The most exciting aspect of the donations made by the support group is that all items are of world class high quality, durable, re-usable and are all made in Nigeria.

“The items donated are: 1,036 Re-usable Coveralls with Shoe Cover, 3,700 Face Masks, 3,700 Face Shields, 18,500 Hand Gloves,’’ he said.

He also said that PPE’s donated by The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas are: Gowns 3,600, N95 Masks 3,500, Aprons 5,000, Masks 3,000, Face Shields 1,000 and Gloves 3,000.

The PPE donated by Nigerians in Diaspora Organisations -Americas (NIDOA) are 2,000 face masks and 1,500 hand sanitisers.

He added that 5,000 hand sanitisers were donated by NIDO China, of which 4,000 have been delivered to Lagos State Government to support frontline health workers in the fight against COVID-19.

He said that the 53,036 items donated were valued at N48 million.

Also speaking, Dabiri-Erewa said that all 36 states including the FCT were captured in the distribution of the PPE for frontline health workers and para-medical staff in teaching hospitals.

The PTF National Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu, said that the donation would escalate areas of coverage especially for the frontline workers, adding that more Nigerians needed to be involved in the fight against the pandemic.