The Federal government has revealed that it has concluded plans for medical and life insurance for frontline health workers in the country, as part of motivations to extract higher commitments to the battle against the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Coronavirus pandemic, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this on Friday, at the daily briefing of the task force.
Mustapha said: “In recognition of the danger to which our frontline health workers are exposed, Government is working with other stakeholders to structure medical and life insurance cover for their protection. I therefore wish to assure them of our commitment and urge them to put in their utmost best as they battle to save us from this ravaging disease”.
He noted that so far, there has been a high level of cooperation and compliance with the Presidential directives ordering lockdown on Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja.
The PTF while assessing the actions of the security operatives in enforcing the lockdown, appealed to Law Enforcement Agencies “to deploy tact and caution in the course of enforcing the rules, even, in the face of provocation.”
He also appealed to all Nigerians to be law abiding, exercise patience and self-restraint, adding that the “message from Mr. President is that no Nigerian should on account of these rules suffer any harm or pains during this period or at any time in our national life”.
As part of efforts to scale up preparedness, Mustapha said the federal government had been engaging in video conferencing with the state governors.
He appealed to Nigerians to be calm, adding that the Federal Government’s desire at this moment is that no Nigerian will lose their lives over the lockdown.
On the reported profiteering, Mustapha appealed to traders to be considerate and show empathy for fellow Nigerians.
The SGF, in his assessment of the contributions of the activities of the nongovernmental organizations to the advocacy efforts of government, commended them, while however urging them to “deploy their resources, especially community-based manpower to shore up the arrangements by the sub-national entities.
Speaking on the global food crises, he disclosed that the government was taking necessary steps to address food crises.
He assured that Nigeria will overcome her current challenges, adding that the announcements he released Thursday, included exemptions of the fertilizers from items banned from transportation.
“With the President’s announcement yesterday that we take 70,000 tones of grains, the Minister of Agriculture informed us today, that we will restock with another 100,000 tones. So, as we are talking, we are also restocking so that we do not run out stocks. The federal government is to restock 100,000 metric tonnes of grains to ensure food sufficiency in the country,” he said.
According to him, the country was depleting stock and there was an urgent need to make provision for reserve.
“We are prepared in terms of food and I want to inform you that after the President directed that we take out 70,000 metric tonnes of grains as part of the palliative measures, I can reliably inform you that I was with the minister of agriculture and he revealed that the President has approved that we restock with 100,000 tonnes.
“This is so because as we are depleting our stock, we make sure we are restocking to face the challenges ahead,” Mustapha stated.
It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the release of 70,000 metric tonnes of grains to be shared among the poor and vulnerable people following a lockdown occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, The Federal Government has threatened to fine media houses that report unverified stories about vaccines and treatment of the COVID-19 even as it urged that standards should be maintained at all times.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohamed, gave this warning while making his remarks during Friday’s live programme of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, on Friday in Abuja. He said” I want to report that the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has given out a directive that all radio and television stations that they should not entertain any unverified claimed as to vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 and any one that does so will be fined.
“Because right now we hear on some radio and TV stations of people who come out to confuse people and give them all kinds of solutions to COVID- 19 and many people have been rushed to the hospitals suffering from overdose of some drugs.
“I think it is important that we must always listen to what the Ministry of Health is saying, what the NCDC is saying. We are guided by the WHO and other world authorities and the Task Force will always remain focused. We don’t want any bogus claim on our problem,” he said.
The Minister also announced that the Task Force was yet to receive any of the funds announced by the private sector. “As we speak today we have not received any money into our account. However, the private sector is mobilizing a lot of funds but they made it clear that because the procurement process in government is slightly slower than their own style, that they will welcome our request and they will provide us the kits and the equipment that we may need.
“We have not received any funds from anybody into our account but this is not to discountenance the efforts of the private sector, we appreciate what they are doing and we are very happy with them,” he said.
He added that “Consequent upon our directive the Free TV has offered everybody on 35 channel a free viewing between April 1st and 30th of May.”
Sirika Hadi, the Minister of Aviation said in addition to cargo and other essential flights, Airports would permit Crew rest.
Speaking at the national briefing in Abuja, Sirika noted that cargoes, oil and gas flights would continue even as the nation observes the lockdown as a result of COVI-19.
“We would provide allowance for crew rest and out of aircraft; protocol has been developed to that effect to ensure no contamination.”
“Regarding oil and gas exemption flight they will continue to do so, however they are restricted to only oil and gas services as provided in the presidential address.”
Contributing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, revealed that Nigerians living outside the country, who may have been infected with the COVID-19, could be evacuated back to the country, stressing that places of isolation would be provided for them.
He said in the event that there is evacuation of Nigerians from foreign countries back into the country, “we of course have to provide for them with places of isolation for 14 days and they will be monitored every single day for fever and other symptoms and they will be tested if of course they she show symptoms”.
Earlier in his remarks, the Minister said that “what we have done is to send communication to all our embassies and all our missions for them to ascertain together with the Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization in those countries, if and how many Nigerians are in such situations and as soon as we are able to collate the numbers we would start looking at the modalities to adopt to effect what is necessary”.
The Minister announced that Nigeria’s Permanent Representative in Vienna, Austria had been able to obtain from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), one of the agencies of the United Nations, about 80,000 Euros worth of medical equipment.
Regarding the foreign nationals, who are leaving Nigeria, Onyeama said it was a case where people are more familiar with the health systems in their various countries and so prefer to go to their countries in the event that they might have to be confined.
He explained that such people “want be in more familiar surroundings, where they will also have access to medical practitioners that they are used to and of course the facilities they are used to. So that is really the reason”.
