Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has called on northern traditional rulers not to relent in spearheading the campaigns to avoid the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the region, stressing that the cost of treating COVID-19 patients is very expensive.

The governor who made the call on Monday at the executive committee meeting of the traditional rulers chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, noted that it costs about N400,000 to treat one COVID-19 patient.

Gov El-Rufai addresses traditional rulers in Kaduna, urging them to lead sensitization campaigns on the spread of the virus.

While noting that traditional rulers have critical roles to play in ensuring that people at the grassroots adhere to government’s directives as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus and other diseases, El-Rufai told the customary leader that treating the infected is digging a big hole in the government’s coffers.

He, however, said that the challenges in the treatment of the pandemic make it imperative that people desist from activities that will promote the spread of the virus in the northern region and the country at large.

Traditional rulers from the nineteen northern States met in Kaduna on Monday to discuss the security and socio-economic challenges confronting the region particularly in the southern part of the state.

The meeting was chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar.

In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto while describing the killings in Southern Kaduna as total madness, said the time has come for all stakeholders including government and traditional rulers to rise up and find solutions to the lingering crises.