By Ayo Kehinde
The Federal Government has approved the release of N10 billion to Lagos State government for the containment and treatment of the coronavirus disease. There are currently 65 reported cases in Nigeria
Lagos currently has recorded 44, FCT 10, Ogun 3, Bauchi 1, Edo 1, Ekiti 1, Osun 1, Oyo 1 …25, Rivers 1
It has also successfully treated and released six patients, including the index case and Italian.
The National Center for Disease Control, NCDC, was equally given N5 billion special intervention fund by the Federal Government, “to equip, expand and provide personnel to its facilities and laboratories across the country”
According to president Muhammadu Buhari in a tweet, @MBuhari, the release of the money was sequel to, “received extensive briefings on the state of the nation as it relates to the Covid-19 pandemic, from the relevant Federal Government agencies as well as the Lagos State Government.”
He said; “the Nigerian Air Force is already making its fleet available to the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, to enable a better coordinated and more effective response across the country.
“To protect our homeland from external exposure, I directed the immediate closure of our International Airports and Land Borders for four weeks in the first instance, to enable us put up the appropriate policies, processes and infrastructure to cope with suspected and confirmed cases at home, without risking a compounding of the situation with more imported cases.
He appealed fro understanding by the citizenry, adding that he had also directed additional restrictions on “cargo vessels that have been at sea for more than 14 days be allowed to dock in our ports, after the crew have been tested and confirmed disease-free by the Port Health Authorities.”
He said, the 14-day restriction does not apply to vessels carrying oil and gas products as by their nature, there is minimal human contact.
“We have also suspended the movement of commuter trains to limit the spread of the virus to other parts of the country.
He directed “the NCDC to draft all its recent retirees back into service to beef up our manpower as we respond to the pandemic, while those “who are away on training or international assignments are to return immediately.”
“Already the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) are conducting an evacuation mission to bring back some of our specialists in Central Africa, to enable them support the national response, he said and commended the Central Bank of Nigeria for its monetary interventions
“We are also looking at fiscal measures to minimise the negative impact of this pandemic on the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.
According to him; “As you are aware we have begun the process of reviewing the federal budget. We shall communicate our fiscal interventions once the budget review process is concluded.
“In the meantime, I have directed the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, to work with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), to ensure that all production of essential items such as food, medical and pharmaceutical products continues unhindered.”
