Shippers’ Council Kicks Against Exclusion From Port Concession [LEADERSHIP]
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has faulted its exclusion from the review of port concessioning agreement with terminal operators by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
It described the action as “arbitrary, inexplicable and unjustified.”
In an interview with LEADERSHIP, NSC’s executive secretary, Barr. Hassan Bello, said that it was a paradox that a government agency created to regulate the activities of terminal operators was not in the know about the contractual agreement operators had with government.
He asserted that the review of the concessioning agreement without the input of NSC would be counter-productive for the economy.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the federal government had appointed the Shippers’ Council as port economic regulator, with a mandate to regulate the cost and efficiency of shipping and other auxiliary services in the sector.
According to Bello, the concession agreement is not secret and does not belong to any agency and argued that the port economic regulator must be mentioned in the deal.
He said: “It baffles me why issues like that (Review of Port Concessioning) should continue without resorting to the economic regulator (Shippers’ Council) but that is how things happen and we have made protest to the Ministry of Transportation to say whatever happened, the council has never been involved and the worse we got was to observe when we are critical stakeholders.
“We are not happy on the way we are being excluded in critical decisions like port concessioning and some others. I don’t know anything about concession agreement. The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been called observers and when we are the port economic regulator.
“So, whatever happens to that concession agreement affects you and me and every village in Nigeria. So, it should have been opened for contributions of critical stakeholders in Nigeria so that we don’t repeat the mistakes that we had in the past,” he said.
Bello disclosed that other stakeholders are also excluded in the review process said the concessioning isn’t an exclusive reserve of any agency of government.
Coronavirus: US, Germany, France In War Of Masks [LEADERSHIP]
As Coronavirus continues to ravage the world, scarcity of safety equipment essential to the fight against the global pandemic is fuelling tension among long-time transatlantic allies, with local officials in France and Germany accusing unnamed Americans of using unfair means to obtain protective masks.
According to two French officials, the US buyers waving wads of cash allegedly managed to wrest control of a consignment of masks as it was about to be dispatched from China to one of the worst-hit COVID-19 areas of France.
The desperate global scramble has sparked a ‘War for Masks’. In France they are calling it the “guerre des masques” the war of the masks.
The masks were alleged to be on a plane at Shanghai airport that was ready to take off when the US buyers turned up and offered three times what their French counterparts were paying.
Jean Rottner, a doctor and president of the GrandEst regional council, said part of the order of several million masks heading for the region, where intensive care units are inundated with Covid-19 patients, had been lost to the buyers.
But Berlin’s state interior ministry blamed the US for confiscating 200,000 masks ordered from a US producer when they were in transit through Bangkok. French officials have accused unidentified Americans of paying over the odds to secure masks in China that had already been earmarked for France.
The US embassy in Paris said any suggestion that the federal government was involved in such practices was “completely false.” There was no immediate response the allegations from the White House or the State Department.
“We view this as an act of modern piracy. You cannot act in such a way among transatlantic partners. Such wild west methods can’t dominate, even in a time of global crisis,” Berlin Interior minister, Andreas Geisel, said.
With hundreds of western citizens dying each day, the incidents highlight the fundamental distrust between the US and Europe. It risks hampering efforts to collectively tackle the damage unleashed by a virus that has brought the world’s economy to a standstill.
The degree of suspicion also feeds into a narrative that it’s every nation out for itself as Europeans are also viewing with greater skepticism offers of help from Russia and China, wondering if there are strings attached.
OPEC, Russia Meet Thursday On Crude Oil Supply Cuts [LEADERSHIP]
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, known as OPEC, are due to meet on Thurs- day to discuss a possible new glob- al crude supply cut to end the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which has prompted United States (US) President Donald Trump to in- tervene.
The development prompted Sau- di Aramco to delay the release of its crude official selling prices (OSP) for May until April 10 to wait for the out- come of the meeting regarding pos- sible output cuts, a senior Sau- di source familiar with the matter told Reuters yesterday.
The Saudi source said that Riyadh wants to avoid a repeat of the out- come of the March meeting where oil talks collapsed due to Russia’s refusal to cut output. Coordinated cuts between OPEC+ members expired on March 31, having helped support crude prices since they be- gan in January 2017.
“It is an unprecedented measure that has not been taken by Aram- co before. May OSPs will depend on how the OPEC+ meeting concludes. We are doing what we can to make it successful, including taking this extraordinary step to delay the OSPs,” the Saudi source said.
Saudi Aramco typically issues its OSPs by the 5th of each month, setting the trend for Iranian, Kuwaiti and Iraqi prices and affecting more than 12 million barrels of oil per day bound for Asia.
The OPEC+ meeting was initially due to take place today, but was postponed till April 9 “to allow for more time to reach out to all producers including OPEC+ and others”, the Saudi source said.
FG Plans Integration Of Artisanal Refineries To Curb Oil Theft Meanwhile, the federal government has said it would support the integration and operations of artisanal refineries to reduce crude oil theft, lime fuel import, and enhance revenue generation.
This was contained in a communiqué released at the end of the consultative meeting between the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Lead federal government team in the oil sector.
The communiqué which was made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, yesterday, was signed by the senior special assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator lta Enang, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari, and the acting managing director of the Niger Delta Devel- opment Commission (NDDC), Prof. Pondei.
FCT, Lagos, Ogun Communities Ignore Buhari’s Lockdown Order [PUNCH]
Residents of some communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Ogun and Lagos states on Sunday violated the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd.) lockdown order.
On Saturday and Sunday, our correspondents in the FCT observed that although there was compliance with the order within the Abuja metropolis, residents of its suburbs, who cited hunger, went out contrary to the government’s directive.
In Ogun State, the Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, in a statement on Sunday, decried the level of compliance in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area.
Residents of Lagos areas such as Iyana-Ipaja, Ketu and Alapare cited hunger for violating the lockdown.
The President had, in a nationwide broadcast on February 29, imposed 14-day lockdown on the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases, which increased to 232 on Sunday.
Security men disperse traders at Kuje market
In the FCT, security personnel consisting of the police and the Federal Road Safety Corps officials chased away traders from Kuje market in the Kuje Area Council on Sunday.
One of our correspondents, who was in the area between 2pm and 3pm, observed that while the market was locked, traders displayed their goods at its entrance.
On sighting the security men, some traders took to their heels and abandoned their wares which included clothes, food and cosmetics.
However, the security men were civil with those who had the courage to stay behind. They appealed to the traders to respect the sit- at- home order.
A barber, who gave his name simply as Tunde, was working in his shop not far away from the market.
He told The PUNCH that security men regularly patrolled the area to enforce the order.
He said, “The security officials, especially policemen, have been coming here very often. Some of them insist that I close my shop, but others allow me after convincing them that mine is an essential service.”
Okada riders defy lockdown order in Kubwa
Commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as okada in Kubwa, one of the major satellite towns in Abuja, defied the lockdown.
Okada riders were seen in most of the streets in Kubwa on Sunday, as they moved passengers from one location to another.
On the Arab Road, Byazhim, Kubwa Village Market, among other areas, for instance, the riders transported passengers who patronised them.
On why he was not obeying the lockdown, a rider, Umar Gambo, told one of our correspondents that it “was difficult” for him to stay indoor continuously because he needed to fend for his family.
Markets, others open at Bwari
The rate of compliance in Bwari on Sunday was not as high as it was when the lockdown started last week.
One of our correspondents, who went around Bwari between 1pm and 2pm, observed that many shops, markets, filling stations and pharmacies were opened.
Unlike the first two days when the roads were almost empty, there were movements of vehicles and commercial motorcycles.
Osun COVID-19 Patients Peculiar, Can Infect Massively — Oyetola [PUNCH]
The Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Sunday urged the Federal Government to assist the state to contain the spread of coronavirus, saying some of the samples that were already tested indicated high level of viral loads.
Oyetola said the samples suggested a strong capability to infect massively if necessary measures were not taken.
He said, “Considering our perculiar circumstance, there is the urgent need for the Federal Government to assist us in our efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
“Our call is predicated on the fact that some of the samples that were tested indicated high level of viral loads, suggesting a strong capability to infect massively if necessary measures are not taken.”
The governor noted that current number of index cases that Osun had recorded was as a result of government’s responsiveness and proactive interception of what would have resulted in a national distress.
On the restriction order, Oyetola said the initial 14 days lockdown might be extended unless there were indications that the situation was safe enough for people return to work.
He advocated one month total lockdown of the country by the Federal Government to properly contain the spread of COVID-19, pointing out that the total lockdown of China for over one month assisted the country to stop the spread of the disease.
On the escape of some of the 127 Ivory Coast returnees that tested positive to coronavirus, Oyetola said those that left the isolation centre were forced back to the facility because their relations did not allow them into the houses.
COVID-19: Police Arrest Funke Akindele Over House Party [PUNCH]
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested star actress, Funke Akindele-Bello, for hosting a party in contravention of the government-ordered lockdown to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said the actress had been taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba.
“Yes, we have Funke Akindele and we are looking for the others, who attended the party. She has been taken to the SCIID,” Elkana told our correspondent on the telephone.
It was learnt that policemen arrived Akindele-Bello’s Amen Estate residence, off the Lekk-Epe Expressway, in about three patrol vehicles.
Akindele-Bello, popularly known as Jenifa, who is married to singer, Abdulrasheed Bello, aka JJC Skillz, held a party in her husband’s honour on Saturday.
Singer, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, also attended the party, which had over 20 other persons in attendance.
Elkana later said in a statement, “The attention of the Lagos State Police Command was drawn to a viral video showing a large number of persons, mainly in the entertainment industry, in an estate in Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos, in a birthday party organised by Funke Akindele-Bello and her husband.
“Police detectives from the SCIID, Yaba, were promptly drafted to the location. Funke Akindele-Bello was arrested. Investigation is ongoing and efforts are intensified to arrest the remaining persons in the video, among who are Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Abdulrasheed Bello, aka JJC Skillz.
“They are, in their best interests, urged to report at the SCIID, Yaba, on Monday, April 6, 2020, or risk being declared wanted.”
Thousands of Nigerians had on the social media called for the arrest of Akindele-Bello.
The actress, who is an ambassador of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Dettol, has appeared in advertisements calling on Nigerians to observe social distancing and hygiene.
She later apologised for the incident, saying most of those who attended the party were colleagues, who were living temporarily on the estate and could not return to their home states, because of the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lagos Infection Diseases Regulations, 2020 (the Regulations) prescribes a jail term of one month or N100,000 fine or both for persons found guilty of hosting gatherings or flouting the lockdown order.
It reads in part, “Where there is a violation of a closedown or stay-at-home order, security agencies shall have the power to arrest without warrant and may detain any person, who violates the closedown or stay-at-home order, for at least 48 hours.
“Where the arrested person is found guilty, the person is liable to a fine of N100,000 or one month imprisonment or three months’ community service.”
Virus: 33 Doctors, Nurses In Isolation After Contact [THE NATION]
DOCTORS and medical personnel who are in the frontline of the battle against coronavirus are fast becoming victims of the pandemic.
Three doctors have tested positive for the virus – two in Akwa Ibom and one in Edo State – three others are in quarantine, President of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) Dr. Sukomba Aliyu said.
No fewer than 33 doctors were at the weekend forced into self-isolation to determine their status after inadvertently coming in contact with patients of COVID-19.
The doctors work with University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) (25), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) (06) and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) (02).
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) blamed this on lack of necessary equipment and threatened to call the doctors out from duty should the situation persist.
The Nigerian Medical Association also kicked, saying it would not condone the continuous exposure of doctors to unnecessary hazard.
A Nigerian doctor Alfa Sa’adu died last week in the United Kingdom of coronavirus. The 68-year-old worked with Prince Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.
Another Nigerian Bassey Offiong – a student with Western Michigan University in the U.S.A died of the virus a few weeks to his graduation.
The Association of Residents Doctors (ARD) University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) chapter, said 25 medical doctors, who had contact with the patients, had gone on mandatory self-isolation.
The association said 13 of them are house officers, while 12 are resident doctors.
The ARD expressed displeasure with the hospital’s management over what it described as poor handling of coronavirus in the hospital.
According to the association, many of the health workers complained of a lack of personal protective equipment, such as face masks and hand sanitisers.
The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, said it placed three of its health workers on isolation after their contact with a patient who died of COVID-19.
Five More Patients Discharged In Lagos [THE NATION]
WITH an advice to Lagosians against stigmatisation, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has confirmed the discharge of additional five patients who previously tested positive for COVID-19.
The governor broke the news through his verified Twitter handle @jidesanwolu yesterday in Lagos.
He called on members of the public to collaborate and support the discharged patients to get over their experiences as fast as possible.
Sanwo-Olu twitted: “Today, I am happy to inform you that five more patients, comprising two males and three females, including a 10-year-old girl have tested negative twice to #COVID-19.
“These five patients have been discharged to reunite with their families.
“This brings to a total of 29 the numbers of patients who have fully recovered and have been discharged from our facility at Yaba.”
“I need to reiterate that the result of tests conducted by our health workers on the recovered patients is a confirmation that they pose no threat to the community.
Pains, Gains Of Total Lockdown [THE NATION]
How many grains of rice fill a Derica tin?
Broadcast journalist Kingsley Momoh gave an answer last Tuesday: 98,900 grains for home grown rice and 98,000 grains for imported rice, he said in a Facebook post.
When does a ceiling fan stop revolving after it is switched off? After one minute and 22 seconds, according to Ugochukwu Cyril-Okere in another Facebook post last Friday.
Momoh and Cyril-Okere did not intend to be taken factually. Both posts were some of the ways Nigerians have deployed humour to express their boredom following a near national lockdown in the wake of the Coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic.
Both men are just two of the millions who complied with the government’s stay-at-home directive.
President Muhammadu last Sunday imposed a 14-day restriction on movement in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.
The shutdown, which will be for an initial two weeks, “is the containment period to identify, trace and isolate all individuals that have come into contact with confirmed cases,” Buhari said.
Several states, including Enugu, Rivers, Katsina, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Plateau had already imposed full or partial restrictions on movement and business.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed 174 cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria on Wednesday night following the 23 new cases reported in five states.
They are nine in Lagos, seven in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), five in Akwa Ibom, one each in Kaduna and Bauchi states.
Nine have been discharged with two deaths.
Several days more to go, families are feeling the strain of having to stay home day and night.
A Lagos-based businessman, Bruce Lagos, is one of them.
He told The Nation that although the lockdown has “brought the family together,” it has other disadvantages.
Lagos, a father of four, noted that he and his wife, an accountant, have had to be careful with their finances.
“We can’t increase our spending unnecessarily at home because the foodstuff we bought for this lockdown period is rapidly depleting.
“The kids have become hyper-active from being home all the time. They can sometimes be a bit stubborn, but that is to be expected.
“As much as we are happy to have them around all the time, it’s been a bit more tasking for I and their mother,” he said.
Their major worry, he noted, is how to meet their financial responsibilities without being able to go to work.
Lagos said: “The kids are now eating more. We already paid for their upkeep at school, but that is just wasting away.”
COVID-19: Gov Makinde Tests Negative, 7 Days After Testing Positive [SUN]
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has tested negative for COVID-19 following the release of the result of his second test for the virus on Sunday, April 5, 2020.
This was made known in a message, which Makinde personally posted on his Twitter handle, @seyiamakinde, at 11:21p.m.
The new result came barely a week after he tested positive for the coronavirus, which was released on Monday March 30, 2020. Immediately, he went into self-isolation and participated in some radio programmes from self-isolation through telephone conversations.
In the tweet, Makinde appreciated a former chief medical director, University College Hospital, Ibadan Prof Temitope Alonge , who chaired in acting capacity the Oyo State COVID-19 Taskforce when he was in self-isolation, adding that he would resume as the chairman of the taskforce on Monday April 6, 2020.
His words: “I am deeply moved by your prayers and support throughout this period. I am so thankful. This evening (April 5), I received my second negative test result for COVID-19. I especially thank Prof Temitope Alonge, who acted in my stead as head of the Oyo State COVID-19 taskforce.
“I am also grateful to all members of the taskforce for their cooperation during this time. I will be resuming my responsibility as head of the Task Force from tomorrow (today).”
On Monday March 31, Makinde had tweeted: “I just received my COVID-19 confirmation test result. It is POSITIVE. I am asymptomatic and will continue to self-isolate. I have designated Prof Temitope Alonge, former Chief Medical Director of the University College, Ibadan, as the Head of COVID-19 Task Force, while I recover fully.”
Makinde, on Tuesday March 31, spoke from the isolation, during a live telephone interview on a special programme of Fresh FM 105.9, Ibadan, known as the COVID-19 Situation Room, anchored by an ace broadcaster, Isaac Brown, saying he had not been showing symptoms of COVID-19 and that his body temperature was normal at 36.5°C.
Bishop Chukwuma Dares Govt, Holds Church Service [SUN]
Archbishop of the Enugu Province and Bishop of Enugu Anglican Diocese, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, yesterday, said the Province will not shut any of its branches over Coronavirus pandemic.
Chukwuma who faulted the order of government for churches and places of worship not to open, said it was unfortunate and wrong to categorise church and worship centres with drinking palours, night clubs, markets and companies.
The cleric said he would not shut the churches because he is not the owner, as the church belongs to Jesus Christ, adding that if people were stopped from “running to their God in worship in a time like now the whole world was confusion, where would they run to for safety, help and deliverance?”
He said shutting the church in a trying time like the one faced by the country would mean giving the devil opportunity to ravage the people and the country.
Warning that attacking the church will not bring solution but worsen what we were faced with already, Chukwuma advised that there was need for the country to continue to seek divine solution to the challenge of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Claims Another Life, As Confirmed Cases Hit 232 [SUN]
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), yesterday, said COVID-19 had claimed the life of another Nigerian, bringing the number of deaths from the pandemic to five.
It also said the number of confirmed persons that had contracted the disease had grown to 232, with 18 new confirmed cases reported, six in Lagos and two each in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and Edo State.
NCDC, in a tweet yesterday, said, “As at 11:15am April 5, there are 224 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria; 27 patients have been discharged with five deaths.”
At present, Lagos has 115 cases; Abuja, 45; Osun, 20; Oyo and Edo have nine cases each; Bauch, six; Akwa Ibom, five; Ogun and Kaduna, four cases each; Enugu and Ekiti, two cases each; while Rivers, Benue and Ondo states have one case, respectively.
Meanwhile, NCDC has activated the Lagos State Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory, ready for COVID-19 testing.
The NCDC, in a tweet, said the activation of the laboratory brings the number of COVID-19 testing labs in Nigeria to nine. It added that efforts were on to ensure speedy completion of work at molecular laboratories in Maiduguri, Kano, Sokoto, Port Harcourt, Jos and Kaduna.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olurunnimbe Mamora, days ago, confirmed to journalists that seven new molecular laboratories would be added to existing ones to hasten the testing for COVID-19.
“We project that, in few weeks’ time, seven new molecular laboratories located in Abakaliki, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, and Sokoto would be added to the NCDC laboratory network to further expand testing opportunities nationwide,” he said.
Recently, the NCDC disclosed that the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) had entered a partnership with LifeBank, a healthcare technology and logistics company based in Lagos, to conduct “drive-through” test in order to make it easier for people to get tested and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
It said that case definition has been expanded, and asked Nigerians whose cases meet the definition for coronavirus to register and wait for further directive from officials.
Man United Think Ighalo Worth £70m In Today’s Transfer Market [THE GUARDIAN]
Manchester United have been so impressed with Odion Ighalo they think he’d be worth a huge £70million if he was five years younger, reports express.co.uk.
The 30-year-old has been a big hit at Old Trafford ever since his arrival from Shanghai Shenhua on transfer deadline day. Express Sport takes a look at the qualities of the Nigerian and how they may influence United’s thinking.
Successful actions
Ighalo has mostly been a substitute throughout his time at the Theatre of Dreams so far. But, despite that, the Nigeria international has still attempted 197 actions across all competitions for the Red Devils. Ighalo has been successful 50.3 per cent of the time.
And that’s resulted in him scoring four goals for the club against Club Brugge, Derby (x2) and LASK in the
Europa League.
Ighalo also carries a goal threat of 4.62xG, showing how direct and potent he’s been during his limited appearances so far.
Aerial duels
United signed Ighalo because they felt the Nigeria international would offer their attack a new dimension.
His physical attributes certainly endeared him, particularly given how the Red Devils lost Romelu Lukaku back in the summer.
And Ighalo has attempted seven aerial duels throughout his time at United.
COVID-19 Lockdown Stalls Palm Sunday Procession [THE GUARDIAN]
Perhaps for the first time in history, Christians in the country yesterday marked this year’s Palm Sunday in their homes and neighbourhoods to which they have been confined by the government because of the coronavirus.
Because churches and mosques are currently locked, the Christians could not hold the usual ceremonies and processions that depict the Biblical Jesus Christ riding on a donkey to Jerusalem.
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, said no other disease had generated so great a fear in the hearts of all and disrupted the social-economic system of the world in the past 100 years as the coronavirus pandemic.
He observed that “what has contributed more to the fear is the fact that the Western world which we had depended upon for quick solution or support at a time like this appears to be brought down to its knees for help wherever it can come from.”
In his message to mark the Palm Sunday, Ayokunle said the situation called for sober reflection on people’s ways of life.
The CAN president, who urged Nigerians not to be naive with their faith, pointed out that faith without knowledge might be dangerous, adding that God who gave the medical experts knowledge wanted people to appropriate such knowledge to their advantage.
“At a time like this, I want to encourage you to be strong in the Lord and stand firm against the wiles of the devil set in motion by the pit of hell to destroy our future.
“At a time like this when the coronavirus pandemic is doing havoc worldwide, the hearts of many people are failing them especially in the Western world where it has done more havoc than elsewhere.
“The medical personnel are overwhelmed while they themselves have fallen victims of the attack of this rude virus. Even medical personnel from Nigeria are being wooed by American government with immediate visa at their embassy if they wish to come and work. The virus does not respect anybody whether high or low. We appear to be a bit luckier in Africa because it has not been able to kill as many people as it did in the West”.
The Catholic Bishop of Abuja Archdiocese, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, said the stay-at-home order by the Federal Government was aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19.
Kaigama, who spoke to journalists after celebrating a privately televised Palm Sunday Mass at the Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Catherdal, Area 3, Garki, Abuja, said as patriotic citizens, Catholics must comply with the order because the Bible urges obedience to constituted civil authorities.
“It is a sober period and since people cannot move about freely due to the stay-at-home order, and being patriotic citizens, we must comply.
“We get some Catholics and Christians who say who is the government to tell us what to do with our faith, but we must apply reason to faith.
Outrage Over Government’s Move To Invite Chinese Doctors [THE GUARDIAN]
The move by the Federal Government to bring Chinese medical experts to help it check the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria has drawn the ire of local stakeholders. Health Minister Osagie Ehanire had announced last Friday that an “18-man team of Chinese medical experts including doctors, nurses and other medical advisers” would assist Nigeria in its fight against COVID-19.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), in a statement by its president, Dr. Francis AdedayoFaduyile, said the association received the report with great dismay and utter disappointment.
It described the plan as an embarrassment to members and other health workers fighting COVID-19 under deplorable conditions. This personnel should not have been subjected to the ignominy of not being carried along on such a decision, the NMA noted.
Doctors are profoundly dismayed to learn that the Federal Government is inviting the Chinese who from available accounts are not out of the woods themselves, said NMA.
It regretted that the government did not take into consideration the extant laws regulating the practice of medicine in Nigeria as enshrined in the Medical and Dental Council Act. It noted further that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigerian should have been consulted to grant approvals to foreigners to interact with Nigerian patients.
The association is aware of a large pool of general medical and specialist practitioners who are either unemployed or underemployed. These could be engaged instead of foreigners who pose a risk to national security and may not be conversant with culture, terrain and peculiar challenges, the NMA said.
It stressed that the invitation is ill-timed and of no overbearing significance, considering that whatever experiences the Chinese have could be shared by digital technology through conferencing.
The NMA hoped that the government would rescind the decision in the interest of the country, warning that it would hate to review its participation in the fight against COVID-19 if the government goes ahead.
The association nevertheless affirmed its commitment to the Nigerian people and the government, expressing support for the efforts of its frontline health workers in containing the pandemic.
Similarly, the chairman of the Federal Capital Territory chapter, Dr Phillips Ekpe, warned: “We need to be careful of the Chinese coming into the country at this time. They seem not to have a good name. We are not sure of the value they are going to add. Our case is not severe and Nigerian doctors are doing very well.
“We learnt that it wasn’t the Federal Government that invited them; they are accompanying some medical equipment being donated to Nigeria. So, they are even uninvited. They should offload and go. There are so many conspiracy theories around this COVID-19. We need to be very cautious. We have so many doctors out there who are not employed. Government should engage them.”