Nigeria: AFFYD, ConnexUS move to educate citizens on Covid-19 Delta Variant

 A Kano-based NGO, African Focus for Youth Development (AFFYD) with support of ConnexUS in the United States of America and the European Union has conducted a 3-day training workshop on Covid-19 for 40 youth selected from 15 Local Government Areas of Kano state.

Following the recent discovery of the Delta variant of the Covid-19 with a lots of countries hitting the third and even fourth wave of the pandemic.

According to the Executive Director of AFFYD, Ambassador Emmanuel Gabari, the training is to create awareness on safety measures to mitigate the Delta Variant twinned with the fact that the youth have always been marginalized when it comes to issues around education, health, empowerment, climate change and social issues.

Addressing the conspiracies surrounding the new variant of Covid 19 pandemic, he asserted that the issue is worrisome since people still deny the existence of the pandemic.

Amb. Emmanuel Gabari, Executive Director of African Focus For Youth Development (AFFYD)

“It is worrisome that if you go around to ask even within urban areas, people still don’t believe in the existence of Covid 19, they would say “the government is only trying to make money or I have never seen people with Covid 19”.

He opine that, one of the priorities of the workshop is on encouraging participants on using social media for sensitization to counter rumors, myths and misinformation on covid 19 and for participants to intensify the training in their communities and social hubs.

The training had speakers and guests like Dr. Rayeedah Bashir, Barrister Fatima Ahmed (FIDA), Hajia Ramatu (Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development) and others joining physically from Kano, while other speakers joined virtually from Kenya, Asia and United States of America, empowering the participants on how to track down information that are not true about the pandemic.

Participants were also taught how to make facemasks and hand sanitizers to safeguard themselves and people around them particularly in the rural areas.

Speaking at the event, the Kano State Coordinator, National Human Commission, Shehu Abdullahi revealed that, amid the lockdown there were lots of human rights violation issues that was brought to his office and the Commission worked round the clock to resolve some of the issues.

Barrister Fatima Ahmed of FIDA Kano, professed covid-19 has brought about the increase in gender based violence and the abuse of women and young girls. She said the training was timely and relevant.

In addition, the Kano State Coordinator, Albinism Association, Hajiya Isiyaka Mariyam said her group did a lot of sensitization during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic. She condemned all kinds of discriminations against people with albinism at various places of work with references to employment opportunities.

Ambassador Emmanuel Gabari expressed his gratitude towards ConnexUS and all the organisations for supporting the project and also looking forward to many more partnerships with various organizations so that issues surrounding youth, women and children can be addressed.