BY LEVI JOHNSON
The Senate has on Wednesday directed that the Health and Finance ministries to release the N620 million budget by the Federal Government to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.
According to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, the disbursed fund would enable the NCDC to put in place what is required to combat the deadly coronavirus.
He stated this in Abuja on Wednesday when he led a delegation of lawmakers on an on-the-spot-assessment of the isolation Centre at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Lawan who dislike the state of the temporary isolation centre for victims of Coronavirus (COVID-19), pointed out that the place was ill-equipped for the purpose.
Lawan said: “First of all, let me say that the both the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the management of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital are in high spirits looking determined to discharge their mandate and obligations.
“But from our inspection here, the temporary isolation centre is really not in good shape. It doesn’t look ready to receive any patient and I believe that this is something we have to fix between today and tomorrow.
“We are in an emergency even if we don’t have people who are affected we shouldn’t just rest on our oars.
“We have to do everything and anything possible to fix that temporary isolation centre to be prepared and ready to receive anyone who falls sick in this respect.
“We are indeed sad that the N620million that was supposed to be released to the NCDC for fixing of everything here not a kobo has been released.
“We are going to get across to the Minister of Finance and all the other authorities who have anything to do with this to release this money between today and tomorrow latest.
“We are in a situation that nobody should be found wanting. Everybody should be at the top of his game.
“There is no way that Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa with the population of 200 million, yet in the Federal Capital and the surrounding states of the North Central; you don’t have one room that you can call an isolation centre where anyone who unfortunately falls into this crisis will be taken to. This is not acceptable.
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“So, we are going to ensure that the money is released, we are not going to put pressure. This is what they are supposed to do, and they must do it.
“I also believe that we should have a replication of the permanent site, we should be able to complete this and then have five others across the remaining geopolitical zones of the country.
“Let’s spend money on our people, we waste money on some things that are less important. This is about the health and lives of the people of this country, and therefore, no investment is too much.
“So, we should be prepared at all times. We had Ebola, SARS, now we have Coronavirus, we do not know what else will come, but we should be prepared and ready for any eventuality, and no investment is too much.
“The contractor said by the end of this month this should be ready, we pray it should be faster, but by the end of tomorrow, that temporary site must be ready.
“There’s no generator, no electricity, nothing. There were two or three air conditioners brought this morning, maybe because yesterday we said we were coming here. This is not acceptable.
“As leaders given responsibilities, we have to do what is right. This is unfortunate. So, the Ministry of Finance should release the N620 million between today and tomorrow.”
The Senate President pledged that the relevant committees of the Senate will follow-up on the issue to ensure that work on the isolation centre is completed.
“The Senate Committee on Health will come back tomorrow (Thursday), we want to see that temporary isolation centre fixed.
“We need to be committed, we need to be very serious, and this is the essence of our oversight, but because it is very important, we decided that the leadership of the Senate should lead this oversight,” Lawan said.
Meanwhile, the officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had decried the situation, adding that the Federal Government was yet to release funds from the N620million earmarked to fight coronavirus.
They said they had to borrow money to buy beds, foams, air conditioners and other critical medical equipment for the temporary isolation Centre in Abuja due to lack of funds.
