President Muhammadu Buhari has yesterday tasked the governors of the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT to personally tackle the fight against the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Buhari also directed the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to engage with the state governors to “Assume full ownership of this stage of the response” against the second wave of the COVID-19 strain.
The President made these remarks while receiving the end of year report from the PTF at the Presidential Villa Abuja yesterday, urging the governors to take full ownership through the deployment of resources and any other structure that will contain the plague at their domain.
Buhari had on several points tasked the governors to be wary of how they handle the pandemic such that it does not get out of hand. Though some public analysts have blamed some Governors for not giving the required attention to the pandemic wondering how the governors after collecting N1 billion from the Federal Government have failed to make a reasonable impact.
Meanwhile, the President had extended the mandate of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha to next year March 2021 to complete it one year.
Buhari said, “Recent reports reaching me indicate that Nigeria is now facing a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, which is similar to the second wave of infections occurring in other countries across the world.
“New epicentres have been identified and the nation cannot afford to lose the gains of the last nine months. I have critically evaluated the situation and remain convinced that urgent measures have to be taken to halt the spread and the attendant fatalities.
According to the President, considering the foregoing it has become imperative and strategic to access and administer the coronavirus vaccine in a safe and a timely manner that would serve the purpose of protecting its citizenry, saying this is an obligation the government owe its people as the year 2021 is fast approaching.
Meanwhile, the president said the PTF should coordinate the strategy for access, delivery and administration of the vaccines using the existing health structures that had worked in the past. Buhari directed the PTF and the Nigeria Immigration Service to ensure that all in-bound passengers who failed to show up for post-arrival COVID-19 test were sanctioned within the ambit of the law, for breaching the public health protocols.
Earlier, Dr Sani Aliyu, the National Coordinator o the PTF on COVID-19 has warned that the country’s health care system is so fragile that it cannot withstand the second wave of the pandemic which makes it necessary for the country to arrest the situation before it go sour.
