The First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, is collaborating with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to produce 180,000 face masks for distribution to six Northern states of Nigeria as part of efforts aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday at the training of about 15 women who will produce the face masks in Bauchi, the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasiru Ladan Argungu, said the production and distribution of the face masks will be done in collaboration with the pet project of the First Lady, Future Assured.
Argungu, who was represented at the event by the Bauchi State Coordinator of the NDE, Ali Lawal Yaya, informed that the benefitting states are Bauchi, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi and Zamfara.
According to the NDE boss, each of the six states are expected to produce 20,000 masks and distribute the same to their people.
He informed that the face masks are to be sown by women tailors in the benefiting states within one week “since they are at home doing nothing”.
“That is why we came up with this to engage them instead of us going to the market to buy the masks,” Argungu stated.
He further stated that the collaboration between the NDE and Future Assured to produce face masks is aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and thus save the lives of Nigerians.
