- No sanitiser in ministries, agencies
- NCDC boss quarantined
- State House screens staff, visitors
- Dangote donates N200m to fight virus
Condemnation has continued to trail the House of Representatives’ resolution to suspend plenary for two weeks to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in the National Assembly.
Civil Society groups which spoke to Daily Trust condemned the decision of the lawmakers, saying it is unjustifiable.
Though, the House did not specify when the plenary would be suspended, the Green Chamber, in a resolution at plenary on Tuesday, said the two-week break would give members opportunity to be tested for the virus and make adequate preparation against spread of the disease in the National Assembly.
The resolution was sequel to the motion; tagged “Need for Emergency Response to Tackling of Coronavirus in Nigeria”, sponsored by Idem Uyinan (PDP, Akwa Ibom).
The Minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta) who added the prayer that the House should close for two weeks, which was unanimously adopted, said the period would allow the management to put in place adequate preventive measures.
“So that all of us can be tested. This is a very serious matter because you don’t know who you are having a hand shake with,” he said.
Also, another lawmaker, Isiaka Ibrahim, lamented that Nigeria is at zero level in terms of control centres.
Awaji-Inombek Abiante, (PDP, Rivers) on his part, regretted that the House stepped down a motion asking for the transportation of stranded Nigerians back home from China, saying, “now, our fears have caught up with us”.
Still speaking on the motion, Obinna Chidoka (PDP, Anambra) called on government to put in place proactive measures that will prevent the spread of the virus in the country.
He noted that outside the health sector in Nigeria, there was no place that people patronise more than the National Assembly, and called for serious preventive measures at the complex. Chidoka also advised government to establish more isolation centres, and for the legislature to be strict in oversight functions to ensure that the health sector lives up to expectation.
In his lead debate, Uyime said the leadership of the National Assembly should set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with relevant health agencies to prevent the spread of the disease.
He said the federal government should release more funds to the Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to quarantine, treat, and contain spread of the virus.
However, the spokesperson of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, in a statement last night, said the resolution is subject to reconsideration.
Our reporters who went round the National Assembly complex observed that no basic preventive step had been taken.
Action unjustifiable – Civil Society
Speaking on the issue, the Director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan, flayed the action of the House of Representatives.
She noted that Nigeria has just one confirmed case, which is in Lagos and wondered how that could be used to justify their action.
Hassan said, “How many of them travelled out? What if we have more cases in a few weeks, will they go on recess forever? It is shameful, as no parliament on this earth has shut down for coronavirus. Instead, people are going on with their lives in other countries, meetings are being held. Our lawmakers are laughable’’.
Also, the Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, said that so far, no case of coronavirus has been reported in Abuja, and that there is no incidence at the National Assembly complex to warrant the suspension of plenary by the lawmakers.
“In a saner country, this is even when the Reps would take their work seriously. Unfortunately, they use every excuse, including frivolous holidays to abandon their duties because anything goes in Nigeria. Of course, they will get paid for not sitting, therefore no worries,” Zikirullahi said.
Similarly, the Convener, Say No Campaign Nigeria (SNC-Nigeria), Ezenwa Nwagwu said the Reps action is completely uncalled for.
“They (lawmakers) are always looking for excuse to shirk responsibility; we are not yet in an emergency, what will happen if other public officials stop work because of a situation that is being contained?” Nwagwu said.
Ministries, agencies fail to deploy sanitiser
Daily Trust findings revealed that as of yesterday, several ministries were yet to comply with the safety instructions against coronavirus. At most of the ministries visited by our reporters, there was no hand sanitiser.
At the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, no safety measures were in place as at yesterday evening. There was no hand sanitiser both at the entrance of the ministry and many of the offices visited. An official of the ministry, who craved anonymity, told Daily Trust that the relevant department that is supposed to provide the item said there was no money to procure it.
Also at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there were no bottles of sanitisers at the various entry points, including the main gate through which the ministers, Alhaji Sabo Nanono and Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri as well as the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abdulkadir Mu’azu, access their offices.
At the Ministry of Mines and Steel, it was the same story; there was no hand sanitiser at the reception and many offices. But bottles of sanitiser were at the Minister’s reception hall.
A staff confirmed that there was no hand sanitiser at the reception point for workers’ use.
Checks at the Ministry of Transportation, also showed that there was no sanitiser at the main reception into the ministry. Also the reception halls on the different floors did not have them. However, some of the offices had them. It was a similar experience at the Ministry of Aviation. No hand sanitiser was sighted at the reception.
It was the same situation at the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
NCDC boss under self-quarantine after China trip
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, is under self-quarantine after returning from China, Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said yesterday.
The minister stated this while briefing the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on the country’s preparedness for the coronavirus epidemics.
He said the NCDC boss was in China as part of the WHO research team to study the nature of the virus.
Ehanire explained that though the DG tested negative, the agency has already established rules that any returnee from China must self-quarantine for 14 days.
He said the DG was quarantined in his house, and won’t be out until after 14 days.
The minister said, “We were honoured that one of the scientists that WHO had chosen to go to China to study the disease was the DG of NCDC.
“They went there for nine days, during which they carried out investigations. But we have already established rules here that anybody who has been to China will go to self-quarantine’’, he said.
He added that many of the passengers who were with the Italian, who was tested positive, had been tracked down except 40, adding that the details will be made available later.
The Senate President and other lawmakers present expressed concern over the state of the four isolation centres in the country. They said except Lagos, the other centres were below standards.
Lawan consequently called for the setting up of isolation centres across the six geopolitical zones.
But the minister, in his response, said the centres were well built and according to technical standards set by WHO.
‘No new case in Nigeria’
A Chinese onboard an Ethiopian Airline flight from Addis Ababa who was on Monday evening quarantined at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos tested negative for coronavirus.
The Chinese national was said to be coughing onboard and was subsequently handed over to officials of the Port Health Service at the airport after being separated from other passengers. It was gathered that the Chinese was put under observation for any symptom of the Coronavirus.#
A source told Daily Trust that a test was conducted on him and the result was negative. The Lagos state Ministry of Health also confirmed the development on its Twitter page @lsmoh.
“The Chinese man who arrived Lagos yesterday on an Ethiopian Airline with cough has tested negative for #COVIDー19, “ the government said, quoting the Commissioner for Health, ProfAkinAbayomi.
Presidency screens State House staff, visitors
The Presidency yesterday began the screening of visitors and staff to the State House, Abuja. The medical personnel posted at the last entry point to various offices in the Presidential Villa were working to ensure that the guests and staff complied with the use of hand sanitiser to disinfect their hands.
The officials also used digital thermometers to check body temperatures of the visitors at the main reception in the presence of security personnel.
Death toll rises to 3,116 across 76 countries
The number of novel coronavirus cases in the world rose to 90,914, including 3,116 deaths, across 76 countries and territories by 0900 GMT Tuesday, according to a report gathered by AFP from official sources. Since 1700 GMT Monday, 763 new contaminations were identified.
China – excluding the territories of Hong Kong and Macau — where the epidemic emerged at the end of December, had 80,151 cases, of which 2,943 were fatal. There were 125 new infections and 31 deaths there between 1700 GMT Monday and 0900 GMT Tuesday.
Outside of China, a total of 10,763 cases have been recorded around the world since the epidemic began, including 172 deaths. There have been 638 new cases outside China since Monday at 1700 GMT.
Dangote donates N200m to fight virus
The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) yesterday pledged to support the current effort by the Nigerian government against coronavirus with N200million.
The ADF’s intervention is considered the largest single donation by a corporate organisation in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus since a foreigner tested positive in Lagos.
It would be recalled that the Aliko Dangote foundation also committed about N1billion to the fight against the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Africa.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Ms Zouera Youssoufou, who was represented by the Health and Nutrition Programme Officer, Maryam Shehu-Buhari, at a donor coordinating meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, said the donation was part of the Foundation’s cardinal objectives.
To this extent, she said the Dangote Foundation has earmarked N124million that will support facilities to help prevent, assess and respond to health events at Point of Entry to ensure national health security.
