The Federal Government is releasing additional N6.5billion as an emergency intervention fund to the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.

This is contained in a statement by Mr Bashir Ahmad, the personal assistant on new media to President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Mr Ahmad the move which was confirmed by Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, is to aid in the fight to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.

Aliko Dangote and Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director, Access Bank Group, are however spearheading a coalition of private sector organisations to support governments’ ongoing efforts at tackling the coronavirus, COVID-19, menace.

The gesture, according to a statement, is in addition to the N200 million earlier pledged by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to help to curb the spread of the virus.

The initiative, which is called the Coalition Against Coronavirus, COCAVID, will involve erection of fully-equipped medical tents to house patients and serve as training, testing, isolation and treatment centres, with an additional facility on Victoria Island, Lagos.

COCAVID, led by Dangote Industries Ltd. and Access Bank Group in collaboration with Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, MTN, ITB and others, is tasked with mobilising the private sector through leadership and resources in creating public awareness, and directing support for private and public healthcare institutions.

The country has however recorded 51 confirmed cases of of the virus with one recorded death.