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House of Representatives member, Dagomie Abiante (PDP, Rivers) has expressed doubt in the preparedness of the Federal Government to battle the widely spreading Coronavirus infection.
Contributing to the motion for the lawmakers to proceed on recess over fears of Coronavirus, Abiante recalled that a motion to bring back Nigerians stranded in China was thrown out by the House for fear of importing the virus.
He said that though the Minister of Health assured that the country was ready to contain the virus, it had found its way into the country.
The lawmaker said that it showed that the government was not really prepared for the virus as Nigerians were made to believe.
Also speaking, Nasir Alliyu (APC, Kano) said that there were only three isolation facilities so far in the country.
He said they are located in Abuja, Lagos and Edo, noting that the one in Abuja which has a capacity of less than 30 persons has not been completed.
The representative said in a country with a population of about 200 million, the facilities are grossly inadequate to contain the virus.
“God forbid if we have to quarantine 10,000 persons, what do we do? There is a need to get really prepared,” he said.
Part of the recommendation by the House was that the government should convene an emergency national health conference for all health workers to come together to address the spread of the virus.
The House mandated all relevant committees of the house to ensure compliance.
Consequently, the House of Representatives resolved to proceed on a two weeks break over a possible spread of Coronavirus at the National Assembly complex as there was no preparation or safeguards to ensure safety at the National Assembly.
