The Bauchi State Governor,His Excellency Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed,has authorised the use of chloroquine as a medication for the treatment of COVID-19 on Wednesday,29th day of April, 2020.The Governor, who was the COVID-19 index case in the state, said he was treated with “chloroquine and Zithromax.”
Mr Mohammed , who disclosed this in a briefing on COVID-19 in the state,at the Government House, Bauchi state,said he would take responsibility for any consequences of approving such drugs.
“Our medical team is using their own ingenuity to use chloroquine and Zithromax to treat the patients, even though in some places, they said it is against the protocol,” he said.
“As the governor, I’m taking responsibility for that because I don’t want anyone to die.When Addressing the health officials directly, Mr Mohammed said, “I have given you the directive that you must use something that I have used to get well, just as you have used for all other cases that got well.
“Rather than saying that something is harmful, we should not follow what the white people are saying by not taking anything and die.
“We are used to taking chloroquine in Nigeria. We are going to use them. We have taken responsibility and I have taken responsibility.
“Zithromax and chloroquine are not harmful to our body, our physiological system has adapted to it. If you are having a fever you take chloroquine.”
He said it was because of the the drugs used such as the Azithromax and chloroquine,that the state had not recorded any case of death by the Corona Virus.
“Nobody is affected with any serious distress in Bauchi, even though now we are going to be tested with the 23 cases.”
The very expressive Governor who is a one time Senator and a one time minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT)Abuja, is himself a COVID-19 survivor but yet has placed the welfare of the masses over the fear of the Pandemic,did not enforce a total lock down in the state,while addressing the newsmen in Bauchi state,he said 95% of the citizens live below poverty line.He added that, for the Government to enforce a total lockdown,it must have provided palliative measures to alleviate the hardship of the citizens.
By Dung Donald Malou