Financial Expert, Jawondo offers advice on Economic Sustainability, seeks Kwara Govt, Tailors collaboration on face mask production
The Kwara State Government has been advised to speed up action on the collaborative arrangement with the Nigerian Union of Tailors, NUT on large scale production of face masks to make available and encourage the use of face masks as an effective measure to contain the alarming spread of coronavirus pandemic ravaging the globe.
He also stressed the need to set up a high powered Committee of experts to brainstorm on the Post-COVID- 19 economic sustainability.
The Grand Patron of Nigerian Union of Tailors, Alhaji Abdulmumin Sanni-Jawondo gave the advice in a statement issued by his Media Office in Ilorin recently.
It would be recalled recently that Alhaji Sanni Jawondo advocated for partnership between Kwara State Government and Nigerian Union of Tailors on large scale production of face masks and maintained that the collaboration would eventually boost the state economy.
As the grand patron of the Union, Alhaji Sanni Jawondo said he had earlier directed the leadership of Nigerian Union of Tailors, Kwara State Chapter to officially write the Committee on the potentials of the proposed collaboration by opening up a workable discussion towards the mass production of face masks for the entire state.
He therefore appreciated the Chairman COVID -19 Technical Committee, the Deputy Governor, Chief Kayode Alabi for the audience granted the Union recently.
The founder and President of Alhaji Abdulmumin Sanni Jawondo Foundation, further reiterated that the Nigerian Union of Tailors have the capacity to produce quality, affordable and accessible face masks for Kwarans and Nigeria in general to guard against COVID- 19 global pandemic.
The philanthropist added that some states in Nigeria like Niger, Oyo and Cross Rivers states had also adopted same collaborative arrangement with their respective States’ Tailoring Unions with positive outcomes.
The seasoned Chartered Accountant, therefore urged Kwarans to cultivate the habit of wearing face mask when going out at this moment that the nation and states are recording increase in the rate of confirmed cases of the deadly virus.
Alhaji Sanni-Jawondo, who is also a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the state appealed to the people of the state to heed to other precautionary measures as a way of fighting coronavirus in the state.
He implored the state Technical Committee on COVID- 19, led by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi to ensure speedy action on the Memorandum of Understanding being established between state and the Nigerian Union of Tailors to save the state from the global pandemic.
The financial expert and Managing Director of Sanni Mohammed & Co. (Chartered Accountants) advised the state government to set up Post- COVID- 19 Economic Sustainable Committee to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus on the state’s economy and come up with proactive measures to sustain the economic development that would enable the government to meet its obligations in spite of the negative impact of the pandemic.
According to him, the proposed Committee should consist of experts at various fields and professional callings such as; Administration, Public Finance, Agriculture, Science and Technology to develop a framework for the state government in order to mitigate against the challenges posed by the pandemics.
The press statement also eulogize the accelerated signing of Certificate of Occupancy by His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Executive Governor of Kwara state, describing it, as a commendable action which would boost the ease of doing business in the State.
He however noted that more still needed to be done to galvanize the economy in view of the current challenges.
He cited the example of depreciation of oil price at the international market, hovering around $ 20 Dollars per barrel as against the budgeted price of about $60 dollars as a red flag that indicated a great danger for our economy as 90% of earning come from oil.
The revenue generation expert further reminded the His Excellency, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq that the state is already in a precarious situation by receiving the least allocation from monthly FAAC and with the additional challenges posed by the effect of this pandemic, said the situation would require experts’ opinion to sustain the economy of Kwara State.
On issue of lockdown, Alhaji Sanni Jawondo advised the government to review its earlier pronounced total lockdown of the state order, by considering the untold economic hardship being faced by the masses and he therefore suggested that, instead, effort should be intensified on the creation of awareness, making mandatory the use of protective materials such as; face masks, hand gloves, creation of hand-washing points, ensuring availability and affordability of hand sanitizers and enforcement of social distancing where necessary, given some states like Cross River and Oyo states that had relaxed the lockdown but redoubled their efforts on preventive and precautionary measures which according to him, it is yielding results.
He thereafter called on the state government to consider the adverse effects of total lockdown on the state like ours, that her economy is too fragile and might not withstand the effect of a complete economic shutdown without resulting to proliferation of social vices, such as; robbery, civil unrest and other crimes.
The resourceful democrat finally eulogized Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq for providing necessary medical equipment and palliatives to cushion the effects of the lockdown in the state and appealed to Kwarans to cooperate with the government in combating the pandemic plaguing the world.
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