The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday flayed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, over failure to release the sum of N620 million to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control to combat outbreak of Coronavirus.
This was even as the NCDC officials informed the Senate President that money was borrowed to be able to buy mattresses at the temporary isolation centre in Abuja.
The Director of Administration in NCDC, Yahaya Yahaya Abdullahi, told Lawan that the money used to buy mattresses were borrowed.
Addressing journalists, Lawan, who led the Senate leadership to visit the Isolation Centre located at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, said Abuja not ready for the outbreak of Coronavirus.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of preparedness of the NCDC to combat the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Lawan said, “First of all, let me say that the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the management of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital are in high spirits, looking determined to discharge their mandates 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 that we need to fix between now 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 to receive anyone who falls sick in this respect.
“I am sad.
“We are indeed actually sad, that of the N620 million that was supposed to be released to this place for fixing of everything here to NCDC, not a kobo has been released.
“We are going to get across to the Minister of Finance and all the other authorities that have anything to do with this to release this money latest between today and tomorrow.”
Lawan further lamented that Nigeria, despite being a country with the largest economy in Africa, is yet to have a completed Isolation Centre in any of the geopolitical zones that would provide emergency response to disease outbreak in the country.
He charged those saddled with leadership responsibilities in the country to live up to expectations through timely discharge of their mandates and duties.
“There’s no way that Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, with a population of 200 million, and yet the Federal Capital and six 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.
“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 for our people.
“We waste money for 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.”
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