ABDULKAREEM Sirika, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs in Katsina State says the state government has spent as much as N157,750,000 on COVID-19 tests from May 31, 2020 to date.
Sirika who shared this at the Government House, in Katsina on Thursday, noted that the sum was used for the testing of 10,000 suspected cases at a private medicare laboratory centre in the state, accredited by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
He explained that each test costs the state government N15,750 and that 800 positive cases have been recorded in the state with 24 deaths since Nigeria got its index case in March.
Sirika further announced that 9,601 results were recorded as negative, stressing that only Dandume Local Government is yet to return a COVID-19 positive result.
It could be recalled that the Katsina Emirate Council resolved to cancel all celebrations during this year’s Eid-el-Kabir festival, owing to insecurity in the state and the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seun Durojaiye is a journalist with International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).