To assist Nigeria in the fight against COVID-19 through accelerated testing, the Flour Mills of Nigeria Group (FMN), has distributed 35,000 testing kits to Kano, Lagos and other states. The distribution of kits which was done through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), was targeted at states mostly in need of the kits.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Group Chief Operating Officer, Boye Olusanya, said that the distributed kits were part of the $1.5 million COVID-19 equipment and kits procured by company to assist the country.
He said the company has already ordered additional 25,000 test kits to beef up its distribution and to reach other states that had yet to be supported.
According to a breakdown of distribution made available to newsmen, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) got 13,000 test kits delivered to NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory in Gaduwa and its Defence Reference Laboratory. A total of 10,000 kits were delivered to Lagos state: 3,000 to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, 3,000 to 54 Gene Research, 2,000 to the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research and 2,000 to the Lagos Biobank Laboratory.
In Kano, 5,000 kits were distributed to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the Bayero University Kano. The state was also supported with a ‘Lab in A Box’ used for rapid testing in remote locations.