The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said he never knew that Nigeria’s entire health infrastructure was in such deplorable state until he was assigned to chair the Coronavirus Disease Committee.
The SGF, who appeared before the National Assembly leadership, therefore demanded a for legislation to rehabilitate the health sector in the country and also prepare the nation for future occurrence.
He added that if countries in Europe and America with excellent health infrastructure could be easily overwhelmed by the impact of COVID-19, he prayed that the nation’s situation does not escalate.
He told the lawmakers that Nigeria lacks what was required to handle the outbreak of COVID-19.
The SFG also called on the leadership of the National Assembly to deepen its oversight and come up with legislations that will make it easier for the executive to cushion the impact of COVID-19.
In his address before the National Assembly leadership, the SGF said: “The world is in the midst of an unprecedented catastrophic crisis because the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is most significant public health emergency of international concern of our generation.
“It has spread across 209 Countries and Territories around the world, with a reported 1,500,000+ confirmed cases worldwide, 87,998 deaths, with about 236,270 people who have recovered from the disease as at 8th April.
“The Disease has placed considerable and significant strain on the global health care system and the economy of the world.
“Although the disease started in China and spread rapidly across Europe and the Americas, today, many African countries are beginning to see a rapid rise in the number of cases.
“Currently 52 African countries are now affected with the disease, reporting 10,659 cases, 533 deaths.
“Given the relentless exponential growth rate witnessed in other countries, the spread of the virus in the continent and in particular in Nigeria should be expected.
“As of 9pm on Wednesday, 8th April 2020, there were 276 recorded cases with six deaths in Nigeria, with the spread reaching nearly half of the States of the Federation.
“Lagos, our economic heartbeat, is the epicentre with 145 cases – more than half of the total.
“Globally, countries with more advanced and sophisticated health systems than ours are struggling to deal with the cases in their own lands.
“We can be under no illusion that this case affects all of us, and it is on all of us to play our part in solving this.”
