By Chris
Last weekend, the dreaded coronavirus finally made its way into Nigeria through an Italian citizen. Immediately it was confirmed, the federal government and Lagos State government swung into action.
The Italian was immediately quarantined and efforts were made to contact the other passengers that flew with him. So far, little success has been achieved in tracking the other passengers but the government is not resting on its oars as the minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has been holding regular press briefings to keep Nigerians tab with unfolding events.
As it has become rampant in Nigeria, fake news got into the details as the government continued to take proactive measures to contain the deadly virus. Some even claimed the coronavirus is a creation of the government to divert attention for issues of accountability.
Regular hygiene has been touted as one of the ways to prevent the coronavirus. At the presidential villa, which welcomes hundreds of visitors every day, nothing was left to chance.
On Tuesday, all visitors coming into Aso villa were screened and given hand sanitizers. On Wednesday, ministers were thoroughly screened before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting commenced at the council chambers.
As soon as they arrived for the meeting, their body temperature was first checked before they were handed sanitisers to disinfect their hands. The ministers were first screened as they alighted from their cars before proceeding to the main reception where at the entrance to the council chambers another exercise was carried out before they went for the meeting proper. Permanent secretaries and other officials from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were not spared.
Reacting to concerns raised by the disease, President Muhammadu Buhari this week noted with dismay the recent confirmation of a case of the ailment also known as Covid-19 infection in Lagos. He regretted that this was despite the ardent efforts of the government regarding preparedness and response measures put in place in the country’s borders and beyond.
According to a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, President Buhari, however, commended the ministry of Health and other relevant agencies whose diligence and efficiency enabled the case to be detected, diagnosed and isolated quickly, even while swift measures were taken to identify and follow up on those with whom the index patient came into contact.
The President commended the responses of the ministry of Health and governments of Lagos and Ogun states as well as other relevant agencies to the reported incident. He called for vigilance on the part of all citizens and responsible government agencies.
President Buhari urged Nigerians not to panic about the news of the first case of Covid-19 in the country, as undue alarm would do them more harm than good. Instead, he said Nigerians should strictly observe the advisories disseminated by the ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the best way to prevent infection.
Also, the federal government expressed concern that the drop in the price of crude oil due to the coronavirus epidemic will have an adverse effect on Nigeria’s revenue.
Speaking to State House correspondents after FEC, minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the current price of crude was below the budget benchmark.
She said, “We are concerned because it does have an impact on revenue and at the current crude oil price of 53 per cent is below the budget bench mark”.
Indeed, most Nigerians are optimistic that the dreaded Coronavirus will be contained in Nigeria just the same way it happened with the Ebola virus. In Nigeria after everything fails – we pray.
Culled from Leadership
