Tag: NCDC

UPDATED: Gbajabiamila makes u-turn, says Vaccine Bill must undergo public hearing

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila on Tuesday made a u-turn declaring that the Infectious Disease Bill, 2020 will undergo a public hearing.

The speaker made this disclosure in a statement made available to the press immediately before plenary on Tuesday.

Gbajabiamila who last week Tuesday during plenary clearly stated that the Bill could be pushed without a public hearing declaring that “a critical situation demands a critical measure”, finally bows to pressures that the Bill must be x-rayed by the public.

Various bodies, critical stakeholders and the social media had called for annihilation of the Bill as it was widely seen as anti-Nigerian and retrogressive.

Senator Dino Melaye and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had stabbed the underbelly of the Bill exposing the inherent dangers if it’s finally passed into law.

He said “the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill will be put forward to a public hearing where stakeholder contributions will be sought to make improvements to the Bill before it is reviewed and debated by the Committee of the whole. It is from the accumulation of these myriad views, suggestions and good faith critiques from within and outside the House that we will arrive at final legislation that meets the present and future needs of our country, and which we all can support.

The Lagos Lawmaker explained that:”When the House last sat in session on Tuesday the 28th of April 2020, we considered the proposed Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, amongst other things. Since then, there has been a barrage of criticisms and accusations, including allegations that the proposed Bill is a product of inducement by foreign interests. The Bill, which is still a proposal subject to consideration, amendment and improvement has been assailed as a sinister attempt to turn Nigerians into guinea pigs for medical research while taking away their fundamental human rights.

“Suffice it to say that none of these allegations are true. Unfortunately, we now live in a time when conspiracy theories have gained such currency that genuine endeavours in the public interest can quickly become mischaracterised and misconstrued to raise the spectre of sinister intent and ominous possibility. This House of Representatives will never, take any action that purposes to bring harm to any Nigerian here at home or abroad. As we have thus far shown by our conduct, the resolutions and actions we take in this 9th

“House of Representatives will always be in the best interests of the Nigerian people who elected us, and no one else.”

” In the recent uproar, certain fundamental truths have been lost and are worth remembering. Our current framework for the prevention and management of infectious diseases is obsolete and no longer fit for purpose. The current law severely constrains the ability of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to take proactive action to prevent the entry into Nigeria of Infectious diseases and the management of public health emergencies when they occur. Even now, the government remains vulnerable to claims that some directives already being implemented to manage the present crisis do not have the backing of the law and therefore cannot withstand judicial scrutiny.”

“I disagree wholeheartedly with the suggestion that this is not the ideal time to seek reforms of the infectious diseases and public health emergency framework in the country. The weaknesses of the present system have already manifested in the inability of the government to hold to proper account those whose refusal to adhere with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines led to the further spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria. We have had people break out from isolation centres, and others, who, fully aware of their status, chose to travel across State lines on public transport.

“The number of those currently infected by the coronavirus continues to rise alongside the number of those who have died. There is no timeline for when this disease will pass, and nobody can predict when the next public health crisis will occur, just as nobody predicted the present predicament. It bears restating that we do not have in our country, a healthcare system or for that matter, a national economy that is sufficiently robust to withstand the dire consequences of a sustained infectious disease pandemic. We cannot tie our own hands in the fight against this disease.

“Whether we choose to accept it or not, the world we live in has changed irretrievably. There is no ‘normal’ to return to as this present crisis has laid bare the fundamental weaknesses in our systems of law and policy and left our nation at risk of devastating outcomes on all sides. Our current task is first to survive and then to set about building a new world. Inevitably, this demands that we should be willing to consider new ideas, explore novel possibilities, rejecting those ancient shibboleths we have long adhered to without benefit.

“We may sometimes disagree with the how and the why of policy proposals. The parliament of the people is not an echo chamber. It is a marketplace of ideas where only those proposals that gain currency with the majority should carry the day. However, our disagreements must be grounded in a shared recognition that our present travails demand urgent interventions.

And we must not allow ourselves to ecome victims of the cynical assumption that every policy proposal or response is a result of personal inducement or a grand conspiracy to bring harm to the people on whose behalf we hold political office.”

The Control of Infectious Diseases Bill will be put forward to a public hearing where stakeholder contributions will be sought to make improvements to the Bill before it is reviewed and debated by the Committee of the whole. It is from the accumulation of these myriad views, suggestions and good faith critiques from within and outside the House that we will arrive at final legislation that meets the present and future needs of our country, and which we all can support in good conscience.

“The social distancing guidelines under which this House and the whole country operates for the time being means that the usual format of public hearings is not tenable. If a socially distant public hearing becomes workable, we will certainly explore that option. Nonetheless, the House will provide alternative platforms for all Nigerians who desire, to send in written documents that articulate their concerns, make recommendations on amendments and perhaps present other formulations for a new framework for managing infectious diseases in Nigeria. All the contributions we receive will be considered and aggregated to improve the proposed legislation.

May 5, 2020
NCDC DG fears possible explosion of COVID-19 in Nigeria

Director General (DG) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has expressed fears of a possible explosion of new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in the country.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr Ihekweazu expressed the fears during the Presidential Task Force Briefing on COVID-19, following the easing of restriction placed on movement to control the spread of COVID-19 that stated on Monday.

He stressed that the federal government might be left with no other option than to reorder the restriction on movement, saying the guidelines emplaced for easing the lockdown were abused.

“Today, some of the measures have been abused. Initial reports are not too pleasing across the country and this is to join both the Secretary of the Federal Government and the Honourable Minister to really appeal to everyone across the country.

“When we say take responsibility this, yes, we are addressing individuals, but we really need to address corporate Nigerians. One of the biggest groups that were allowed to restart business today was banks. But many banks have limited the number of branches that are opened.

“There is a benefit of doubt but when you limit the number of branches that open, everybody goes to the one branch that is open, and that becomes counter production. So, there is only so much we can do.

“We can produce all the guidelines in the world, we can preach, attend TVs, we can do press conferences, if organizations are not going to come up and support the implementation of these measures and help us manage the risks, and focus on a risks-based approach, because it’s not the guidelines per se. It is the thinking behind it. How do we want to manage and mitigate the risk of exposure, the risk of transmission in every group?

“Today, we might forgive a little bit because it was the first day. We will have infections because of what happened today, no doubt about that. But how can we learn from the mistakes of today into tomorrow, next tomorrow, so by Friday, hopefully we have normalized some of these things.

“Yes, we knew today would be a problem. Everybody here knew today would be a problem, because for the first time, people were let out of their homes. But, now they are out, seeing the sunlight again, the challenge for us, because as a society, is how do we now organize ourselves to mitigate these risks, to limit transmission from each other so that, yes we might have a few extra infections today and tomorrow, but what we don’t want is an explosion of new infections.

“If we do have that explosion, then, there would be almost no choice left for the leadership of the country than to ask all of us to go back into our homes. So, for the benefit of having a few hours a day of coming out to reopen parts of the economy, there is a price to pay and that price is that we organize ourselves to do this safely.

“So, I ask every Nigerian watching this to please work with us to mitigate these risks, to limit transmission, so that we can continue incrementally to come out of this outbreak situation, even without a vaccine, even without stopping transmission, altogether, we can learn to live with it for the next few weeks and months until we are able to come out of the transmission period altogether,” Dr Ihekweazu said.

May 4, 2020
BREAKTHROUGH! NCDC awaits NAFDAC to make COVID-19 treatment available for Nigerians

…NCDC DG says objectives of COVID-19 lockdown were achieved

…Talks more on community transmission, says there are different outbreaks of COVID-19 in Nigeria

Director General (DG) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has said conversations to enable Nigerians to gain access to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment have started.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr Ihekweazu, who made this known on Sunday as guest on the Sunday Politics television programme, said the COVID-19 treatment is a drug that failed clinical trial for the Ebola virus but passed for the new Coronavirus.

He said the COVID-19 treatment is a drug called Remdesivir, and that it is a victory for science, but that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) would be needed to speed up the regulatory process for it before it is made accessible and available to Nigerians.

“It is kind of a victory for science because you know over the last few days, we’ve gotten emerging evidence for the first drug that has shown evidence of efficacy.

“It is a drug called Remdesivir that came out to prominence over trials to use it for the Ebola virus. Well, it did not really work. So, those trials did not show that it worked for Ebola.

“But these drugs remained in our arsenal. We now tried it in a clinical trial and we have seen that it does produce benefit to people.

“In the beginning of this outbreak, there was a lot of pressure, not just on NCDC, on State governments across the country to buy and invest in medications, I won’t name them by name, but many types of pills both conventional, medical and everything else.

“I stood firm and said, listen, we have to wait for the science to come through for us, for the clinical trials to evolve because what we don’t want to do is give people something, not only are we not sure it will work, it could actually cause harm.

“Many of these drugs that we take have side effects. If we don’t know that the benefit outweighs the side effects, then, as a doctor, I am causing more harm to my patient and the one vow, as a doctor that we take, as most sacrosanct, is to cause no harm.

“So, I am actually happy that finally some clinical trial evidence has emerged about a new drug.

“What we now need to do is gain access to this drug. It is a difficult process at the moment but we’ve started those conversations to enable access to Nigerians.

“We will speak with NAFDAC to hasten, speed up the regulatory process so we can make this drug accessible and available to Nigerians.

“So, it is the first step. That is how science works. Sometimes, it is slower than we want it and would like it to be, but that is really what we have to do,” Dr Ihekweazu said.

NCDC DG says objectives of COVID-19 lockdown were achieved

Meanwhile, the NCDC DG also said that the objectives of the COVID-19 lockdown were achieved, stressing that there were three primary purposes in mind when President Muhammadu Buhari instituted the restriction of movement across Nigeria four weeks ago.

“Four weeks ago when Mr President instituted this restrictions of movement across Nigeria, focusing particularly on three States of the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States, there were three primary purposes.

“The one everyone remembers is of course we wanted to reduce the risk of transmission from one individual to another, and we achieved that to some extent. Our modeling shows that we had at least 50% reduction of where the numbers would have been if had not instituted the lockdown versus where they are today. So, there was some successes there.

“But, there are two other critical objectives. One is to prepare the work that we were doing in collaboration with all the State governments across the country to enable the public health system respond in that very difficult case finding, identification, contact-tracing all the contacts and following them up, enabling the development and maturity of that process. That is the second objective.

“The third objective was to enable the health system, altogether, to prepare for a completely new disease that has emerged in our landscape. That, too, has happened. So, in terms of the primary objectives of the lockdown, they have been achieved

“The objective was never, and to be clear, aiming at stopping transmission altogether before we restart our activities. We knew from the onset that, that was not going to be possible in our context.

“So, we needed so time to prepare ourselves for the easing of these measures from tomorrow, and this is not a complete easing. It is very carefully calibrated easing of the measure, and we work collectively, and not just the federal government of the State government, we need to now collectively make sure that we manage these measures as articulated by the presidential task force in order to keep ourselves safe, and to begin a new normal in Nigeria.

“Living with COVID-19, that is our reality, and we cannot get out of that reality until we get a vaccine and everyone in the global space is working towards that goal. So, until we get to that goal, we have to learn to live with this new normal, new reality.

“Whether we do it today or push it off one week or two weeks or three weeks, we will still have to come to that inflection point. So, Mr President made a very difficult decision last weekend. We literally weighed the pros and cons of all the data in front of him and he challenged us to start this process from tomorrow.

NCDC DG talks more on community transmission, says there are different outbreaks of COVID-19 in Nigeria

Meanwhile, the NCDC DG said even though epicurve of COVID-19 in the country shows just one outbreak, there are have different outbreak in Nigeria, and that the government was trying throw resources properly for that reasons.

“We have established that there is community transmission in three major cities: in FCT, Lagos and Kano. 75 per cent of all the cases in Nigeria still come from these three cities and that is why one of the measures that have been kept in place by Mr President is the restriction on inter-State travel. That is such an important restriction. It is important for every Nigerian to understand why this is important.

“We have different outbreak in Nigeria. Even though we show it on one curve, it is really not one outbreak. We are seeing three significantly large cities outbreak in Lagos, in Abuja, and Kano, that have instituted community transmission in almost all the States. Now, we beginning to see something like that happen in Borno, but less in almost all the other States we have found introductions. And you know many of them have been managed to a few number of cases.

“So, what we are trying to do is to throw our resources into these States that have established community transmission, trying to limit spread in these States, while preventing this virus from going to other States. The virus does not fly on its own to other States. It is carried by people, carried by individuals that are travelling. We have analyzed our own data to see that most of the cases in other States have emerged out of travelers from these high burden States.

“So, what we are trying to do is keep some of the most important restrictions such as inter-State travel, international travel and large congregations. Those will remain almost completely banned until subsequent weeks when Mr President will evaluate the situation.

“While we start easing the restrictions on work places, some of the economic activities can start because the economic activities are linked to livelihood, which are linked to lives. So, these are the decisions we have made.

“I really think every new directive to do things is always difficult in the beginning. I will really forgive a lot of Nigerians who have struggled with this in the early days. But what I always urge people is to keep at it. We will get better. People often jump to into judgment on how well people perform in the first days of the advice to wear masks or the early days of hand washing, but what I know is that people have been getting better at this.

“Communities have found ways to implement these, to put out hand washing basins in front of their offices, to use sanitizers. I see an increasing number of people wearing masks when I go out, so, Nigerians know what to do and I am confident that we will get to where we want to be by carrying everyone along, not by government saying you must do this, but by Nigerians themselves saying this is what we need to do as a people to stay alive. This is what I need to do for my business to stay in business. This is what I need to do as a family to keep my family safe. This is the only way we can achieve anything out of the new measures we are requesting.

“To be honest, I categorize these measures into two. There are some of the things like hand washing, sanitizers, that I hope that we will continue to do well after this outbreak. I hope never to be in a situation where I am advising Nigerians to wash their hands regularly. This must become a way of life for us.

“The use of sanitizer where water is not available must become a way of life. So, there are many of these restrictions that I hope will become contingent on how we wake up everyday and live our lives.

“The more difficult things for us that we will have to endure over the next few weeks, such as wearing masks, keeping at least two meters apart from each other, the restriction on mass gathering; these are new and very difficult for us because we are a social people. Even our work places are social environment. So, we will all have to learn”.

May 3, 2020
COVID-19: Objectives of lockdown achieved – NCDC DG

Director General (DG) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has said objectives of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown have been achieved.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr Ihekweazu made this known on Sunday as guest on the Sunday Politics television programme.

He said there were three primary purposes when President Muhammadu Buhari instituted the restriction of movement across Nigeria four weeks ago.

“Four weeks ago when Mr President instituted this restrictions of movement across Nigeria, focusing particularly on three States of the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States, there were three primary purposes.

“The one everyone remembers is of course we wanted to reduce the risk of transmission from one individual to another, and we achieved that to some extent. Our modeling shows that we had at least 50% reduction of where the numbers would have been if had not instituted the lockdown versus where they are today. So, there was some successes there.

“But, there are two other critical objectives. One is to prepare the work that we were doing in collaboration with all the State governments across the country to enable the public health system respond in that very difficult case finding, identification, contact-tracing all the contacts and following them up, enabling the development and maturity of that process. That is the second objective.

“The third objective was to enable the health system, altogether, to prepare for a completely new disease that has emerged in our landscape. That, too, has happened. So, in terms of the primary objectives of the lockdown, they have been achieved

“The objective was never, and to be clear, aiming at stopping transmission altogether before we restart our activities. We knew from the onset that, that was not going to be possible in our context.

“So, we needed so time to prepare ourselves for the easing of these measures from tomorrow, and this is not a complete easing. It is very carefully calibrated easing of the measure, and we work collectively, and not just the federal government of the State government, we need to now collectively make sure that we manage these measures as articulated by the presidential task force in order to keep ourselves safe, and to begin a new normal in Nigeria.

“Living with COVID-19, that is our reality, and we cannot get out of that reality until we get a vaccine and everyone in the global space is working towards that goal. So, until we get to that goal, we have to learn to live with this new normal, new reality.

“Whether we do it today or push it off one week or two weeks or three weeks, we will still have to come to that inflection point. So, Mr President made a very difficult decision last weekend. We literally weighed the pros and cons of all the data in front of him and he challenged us to start this process from tomorrow.

NCDC DG talks more on community transmission, says there are different outbreaks of COVID-19 in Nigeria

Meanwhile, the NCDC DG said even though epicurve of COVID-19 in the country shows just one outbreak, there are have different outbreak in Nigeria, and that the government was trying throw resources properly for that reasons.

“We have established that there is community transmission in three major cities: in FCT, Lagos and Kano. 75 per cent of all the cases in Nigeria still come from these three cities and that is why one of the measures that have been kept in place by Mr President is the restriction on inter-State travel. That is such an important restriction. It is important for every Nigerian to understand why this is important.

“We have different outbreak in Nigeria. Even though we show it on one curve, it is really not one outbreak. We are seeing three significantly large cities outbreak in Lagos, in Abuja, and Kano, that have instituted community transmission in almost all the States. Now, we beginning to see something like that happen in Borno, but less in almost all the other States we have found introductions. And you know many of them have been managed to a few number of cases.

“So, what we are trying to do is to throw our resources into these States that have established community transmission, trying to limit spread in these States, while preventing this virus from going to other States. The virus does not fly on its own to other States. It is carried by people, carried by individuals that are travelling. We have analyzed our own data to see that most of the cases in other States have emerged out of travelers from these high burden States.

“So, what we are trying to do is keep some of the most important restrictions such as inter-State travel, international travel and large congregations. Those will remain almost completely banned until subsequent weeks when Mr President will evaluate the situation.

“While we start easing the restrictions on work places, some of the economic activities can start because the economic activities are linked to livelihood, which are linked to lives. So, these are the decisions we have made.

“I really think every new directive to do things is always difficult in the beginning. I will really forgive a lot of Nigerians who have struggled with this in the early days. But what I always urge people is to keep at it. We will get better. People often jump to into judgment on how well people perform in the first days of the advice to wear masks or the early days of hand washing, but what I know is that people have been getting better at this.

“Communities have found ways to implement these, to put out hand washing basins in front of their offices, to use sanitizers. I see an increasing number of people wearing masks when I go out, so, Nigerians know what to do and I am confident that we will get to where we want to be by carrying everyone along, not by government saying you must do this, but by Nigerians themselves saying this is what we need to do as a people to stay alive. This is what I need to do for my business to stay in business. This is what I need to do as a family to keep my family safe. This is the only way we can achieve anything out of the new measures we are requesting.

“To be honest, I categorize these measures into two. There are some of the things like hand washing, sanitizers, that I hope that we will continue to do well after this outbreak. I hope never to be in a situation where I am advising Nigerians to wash their hands regularly. This must become a way of life for us.

“The use of sanitizer where water is not available must become a way of life. So, there are many of these restrictions that I hope will become contingent on how we wake up everyday and live our lives.

“The more difficult things for us that we will have to endure over the next few weeks, such as wearing masks, keeping at least two meters apart from each other, the restriction on mass gathering; these are new and very difficult for us because we are a social people. Even our work places are social environment. So, we will all have to learn”.

May 3, 2020
COVID-19: Over 25 million Nigerians risk infection; over 900k deaths projected

Except for the flattening of the epicurve of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria, given the frequency of new cases in the country, over 25 million people are at risk of contracting the dreadful virus, with about 900 thousand among those infected projected to die from the disease.

As the COVID-19 continues the rapid spread across the country, data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicate that as of 2nd of May, a sample population of 16,588 have been tested since the outbreak of the virus in the country on 27th February.

Between February and March of COVID-19 outbreak in the country, there were 139 confirmed cases of the disease in the country. However, by the end of April, that number more than quadrupled. With the 238 and 220 cases confirmed on 1st and 2nd of May respectively, there are now 2,388 confirmed cases from the sample population of 16,588.

The sample population tested and the cases that turned out positive show an infection rate of 14.4% in the population. Of the 2,388 positive cases, 3.6%, being 85 cases ended up dying; 16.1%, being 385 cases have been discharged, with 80.3%, 1,918 cases actively receiving attention in facilities across the country.

With the population of Nigeria currently pegged at over 200,000,000 based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data and given the 14.4% frequency of new COVID-19 cases in the country, the spread of the virus could reach over 25 million Nigerians.

The alarming projection means that, regardless of whether the government is easing lockdown or not, Nigerians should observe measures put in place to curb the disease.

Even, governments have said not because the disease stopped spreading was the reason for the easing of lockdown measures, but for economic reasons.

So, Nigerians had better understand what is at hand and be very careful.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 (PTFCOVID19) had said improved capacity for testing and contact tracing is responsible for the growing number of new cases, but with community spread already ongoing viz a viz the easing of lockdown measures, there are fears that the situation could worsen.

According to Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of NCDC, two million Nigerians have been targetted for testing in the next three months. He disclosed that the two million targets would come to about 50,000 per state which he said was a very ambitious target.

Ihekweazu, however, warned that Nigerians should avoid all non-essential travel because the virus was now in more States across the country. He called on Nigerians to limit transmission in the country by discouraging inter-State travels.

“The NCDC Laboratory Strategic Group has set itself a target of testing two million people across Nigeria in the next three months. We are lagging behind in testing in Nigeria but now we have to catch up. We will need the support of all the States. It doesn’t fly about on its own from State to State; it is carried by humans,” the NCDC DG said.

The DG had also disclosed that about 90 per cent of all COVID-19 patients would recover irrespective of medical intervention. He noted that a larger percentage of infected persons actually recovered from the infection than many other viral illnesses, saying “so, there is no reason to be despondent”.

According to an Abuja-based Public Health Specialist, Dr Laz Eze, recorded cases in Nigeria were still rising and yet to peak.

He urged Nigerians to adhere to preventive measures as the Federal Government eased the lockdown directives.

He said the measures had been prescribed to minimise person to person contact to avoid an explosive spread of the virus.

“Nigerians need to understand that the virus has altered the way we live and things may never be the same again in the near future.

“The virus is probably in every state of the country; though two states are yet to report cases probably due to no testing. So everyone everywhere in Nigeria is at risk,” Eze told NAN on Sunday in an interview.

He, however, said that Nigerians should continue to adhere strictly to the guidelines made available by the PTFCOVID-19 and the NCDC.

He urged those who should keep working from home to continue to do so.

“People should avoid crowded taxis, buses or places. Regular hand washing with soap and running water should be sustained. Offices and markets should make hand washing facilities available. Everyone leaving their homes should use a face mask.

“I feel schools and religious houses should remain closed. Government should keep providing palliatives especially to the most vulnerable in the society. Small businesses should be supported to get back on track,” he said.

He called on Nigerians to believe and spread only information from official channels in order to avoid misinformation.

Eze added that everyone should take personal responsibility and play their parts so as to help end the pandemic.

May 3, 2020
Absence of Coronavirus Test Centre in Rivers State: NCDC Should Clear The Doubts Now, By Achinike William-Wobodo

Rivers State is one of the States with high population density in Nigeria, certainly the highest in the whole of South South and South East Regions of the Country. It is the Headquarters of Oil & Gas operations and activities in Nigeria. Undoubtedly, this explains why even in this Covid-19 pandemic and the attendant lockdown, one would notice that the Federal Government still grants approval for special flight operations in and out the State to air lift oil and gas sector workers. Port Harcourt, the capital city also serves as alternate economic centre for neighboring States and cities like Yenagoa (Bayelsa State), Owerri (Imo State) and Aba (Abia State).

So far, Rivers State has also recorded seven (7) confirmed cases of coronavirus disease. This number has the capacity of infecting over a thousand other persons in a period of ten days going by the spread pattern of the disease as announced by the World Health Organization (WHO). Also, like in other States, including Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers State now has carriers of the disease who contracted it through community spread.

Before proceeding to the next phase of this piece, I want to make it clear that there are near-reality conspiracy theories circulating in Rivers State. Some say that the relevant authorities responsible for setting up the test centre are responding to what they referred to as “unfriendly reactions” of the Rivers State Governor at the initial stage of the outbreak in Nigeria, a period when every Governor was grappling between panic and strategy in addressing the novel virus. Other say that the Rivers State Government has not put down any facilities to host the test Centre. There are also those who try bluntly to give political party coloration to this concern.

Listening to the Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike speak during his briefing on the state of Covid-19 in Rivers State on 01/05/2020 and the Governor’s painstaking efforts to give life to one of the conspiracy theories, ie. that the Federal Government Agencies want Rivers people “to suffer”, it has become imperative to call on the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for clarifications. It is important to highlight also that there are evidence of opposition States across the regions that have Test Centres.

This brings us to the big question: why does Rivers State not have a Test Centre? In the past two weeks Rivers State residents have been overtly worried and continuously questioned why there are no test centres in the State. Increasingly, residents in Rivers State are being made to believe that those responsible for establishing the test centres are politicking with their health and wellbeing. This is not a healthy notion to be allowed to fester. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is an Institution of the Government of the Federation responsible for establishing Coronavirus Test Centre. The NCDC is the only custodian of WHO Protocol for that purpose in Nigeria. Having not heard from NCDC, I am reluctant to offer any positive comment or answer which might be construed as an indictment, either to NCDC or the Rivers State Government.

This is not a brief for either side, but for the records and benefit of doubt, the NCDC must come clean, open and explain to Rivers State residents why the State has no single Test Centre, even where States with less population have. Rivers State needs Test Centres now; and much more than that, an explanation from NCDC why the State has no Test Centre yet.

Clear the Doubts NOW !

Long Live Rivers State. Long Live Nigeria.

Achinike William-Wobodo
Lawyer & Public Policy Analyst
Writing from Port Harcourt.

May 2, 2020
MUST READ (COVID-19): Kano is a city under critical situation – Prof. Usman Yusuf

By Prof. Usman Yusuf

Though their hearts are heavy with grief and their eyes filled with tears, residents of this ancient city derive solace from their scripture which reminds them that: “We surely belong to Allah and to Him we shall return” Quran 2:156 and that “Every soul shall taste death” Quran 3:185.

Every other household in this city has either lost a relative, has someone lying ill from COVID-19, is awaiting test results of the virus, or knows a family in similar circumstances. For me personally, some of these deaths are not abstract numbers but real people representing colleagues and friends lost to this unseen killer.

Every day, all across the city, from the crack of dawn to the setting of the sun, there are silent processions of people bearing the remains of their loved ones felled by this virus for burial in cemeteries spread across the city. The family of one of my deceased friends told me that even though they have experienced death in the family before, death from COVID-19 was different. They described it as very painful, frightening, and lonely for both the deceased and the family.

They recounted how they helplessly watched their loved one gasping for air but could not go near him and when he passed away, they could not go near the body or accept visitors that would normally come to condole them. They are now home grieving alone while anxiously and prayerfully waiting for the results of samples taken from them to check if any one of them has also been infected by the virus.

People in the city are living in a state of fear, uncertainty, and helplessness. An elderly resident summed it up this way: “I feel like the whole city is under a death sentence and we are just waiting for that knock on our doors from this silent unseen executioner here to take us”.

The already struggling healthcare system in the city is on the brink of collapse as Private Hospitals are shutting down due to lack of capacity to manage sick COVID-19 patients and lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff. State secondary and Federal Tertiary hospitals are already getting overwhelmed and turning away patients due to lack of bed spaces, medical supplies, drugs, PPE and understaffing,

Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), the only tertiary hospital in the city is now like a ghost town, a visit to its Accident and Emergency is scary and heartbreaking with patients lying everywhere many coughing and gasping for air while some already in a coma are left unattended.

There is a very serious healthcare crisis now in the city that may claim more lives than COVID-19. There is no provision made anywhere in the city for the care of patients with ailments that are not related to COVID-19 like Malaria, Deliveries, Obstructed Labour, Diabetes, traumas, etc. which are increasingly claiming lives.

There is a lot of anxiety and trepidation among all healthcare workers in the city who are acutely aware of the mortal danger they face daily from seeing patients without adequate PPE. Some of these selfless men and women have already tested positive for the virus and unfortunately, this number is likely to rise in the coming days thereby reducing the number of troops in the frontline to fight this enemy.

I have followed with great concern how some people and media outlets have been sucked into the false propaganda put forward by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his surrogates who attribute the increasing death toll in the city to a “strange illness”. He is borrowing from the playbook of authorities in Wuhan China when they were trying to hide COVID-19 related deaths in the city at the beginning of this pandemic.

Wuhan authority’s coverup crumbled when confronted with the escalating death toll in the city. But at least they woke up and did something to reverse the situation, as opposed to Ganduje who is still in denial. People keep wondering what he stands to gain from these denials in the face of the increasing deaths and sufferings of his people.

The other day, I had to correct the anchor of Channels TV program: “COVID-19 Update” when I appeared at 6 pm on 28th April 2020 when she said on air that “Lagos is the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria”. The reality is, with the rising daily death toll in Kano, the city remains the undeniable epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic not only in Nigeria but in the whole of Africa.

What I find more worrisome is that the NCDC in its daily briefing is not even acknowledging the correct number of new infections and deaths in the city and is also not deploying adequate testing capacity and medical supplies to meet the worsening situation on the ground.

The NCDC website clearly states that it has the capacity of doing 2,500 tests every day, with 1,500 of these reserved for Lagos alone while the rest of the 35 States of the Federation and the FCT share 1,000 tests between them. There is no defensible scientific basis for this skewed and inequitable distribution of this vital national resource at this time of our national emergency.

Testing remains one of the key measures to curb the spread of this disease. WHO Director-General, in March 2020 reiterated this point when he said “We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test. Test every suspected case, if they test positive, isolate them and find out who they have been in close contact with up to 2 days before they developed symptoms, and test those people too,”.

The truth is that in Nigeria, we are not testing anywhere near enough. With a population of close to 200 million, less than 10,000 people (15,759 samples) have so far been tested while South Africa with a population of 59 million has tested over 160,000 people and Ghana with a population of 31 million has tested close to 70,000 of its people. Even small countries like Djibouti with a population of less than 1 million (988,000) have tested over 8,000 people. It is common knowledge in the scientific community following this pandemic that maps that do not show any cases of COVID-19, are an indication of a lack of testing rather than the absence of the virus in that community.

I have always believed that Kano City alone has more cases of COVID-19 than the whole nation put together due to the epidemiology of the disease, the city’s population density, socioeconomic and cultural factors, and weakness of the health system and political governance.

Lack of testing has been the main reason we have not been seeing the true picture of the disease in the city leading to increased mortality among the elderly particularly those with pre-existing illnesses. Accurate, real-time actionable testing data is crucial in the fight against this virus and it also helps policymakers in making sensible decisions.

As we mourn our loved ones and friends, we ask that their humanity be respected and acknowledged. Now is the time for thoughtfulness, honesty, transparency, and compassion for one another, not half-truths and propaganda.

Kano’s situation is critical and I call on the Federal and State Governments, Donor Agencies, the International Community, people of means, and all Nigerians to do all in their power to help the city.

IN SUMMARY

(a). Kano city is the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.

(b). It is a city in mourning with a rising daily death toll.

(c). The residents of the city are living in a state of loss, fear, and uncertainty.

(d). The state Governor is not showing any credible leadership and is still in denial.

(e). NCDC is not accurately accounting for the number of infections and deaths in the city.

(f). NCDC is not deploying enough resources for testing and contact tracing to the city.

(g). The healthcare system in the state is on the brink of collapse with private hospitals shutting down and secondary and tertiary hospitals getting overwhelmed.

(h).Healthcare workers are still not provided adequate PPE despite the Presidential directive to do so.

RECOMMENDATIONS

(1). The decision of Mr. President to have Federal Government Presence in Kano is commendable, however, the PTF needs to move its operations to Kano which is the epicenter of this pandemic and be giving the nation a daily update on the situation in the city.

(2). Urgent Federal Government assistance to the people and hospitals in the city like:

(a). Foodstuffs to people and Medical supplies to all hospitals

(b). Mobilize more healthcare workers from the Uniformed Services and elsewhere in the nation to the city.

(3). The President will need to have an independent way of verifying that his directives are followed through and that people and hospitals are receiving what he directed.

(4). Because of the serious National Security implications of what is happening in Kano, I urge our lead Security Agency, the DSS to be proactive in getting accurate data to the President on the following:

(a). Status of the healthcare systems and needs in the state,

(b). Number of people testing positive daily

(c). Number of daily COVID-19 related admissions to hospitals

(d). Number of people lying ill at home with the disease

(e). Number of burials daily in each of the city’s cemeteries (f). Mood of the people in the city

(g). Inputs from Traditional, Religious and Community leaders

(5). I call on all Ministers and political appointees from Kano as representatives of the President, to be seen in Kano commiserating with the Emir, Governor, and people and be heard on local radio stations consoling people.

(6). I call on Federal legislators from Kano state to be heard on local radio stations talking to their people.

(7). I call on the President to urgently reach out to foreign leaders for help with the following because we neither have the luxury of time nor access to these medical supplies in the international open market:

(a). COVID-19 Test kits

(b). PPE for healthcare workers

(c). Gowns, Face masks, Goggles

(d). Drugs and Medical consumables

(e). Ventilators.

Usman Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.

May 2, 2020
Nigerians must learn to live with COVID-19 till vaccine is found – NCDC DG

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Friday said that Nigerians will have to learn to live with the coronavirus (COVID-19) until a vaccine is found.

He made this declaration while addressing the issue of stigmatization towards those that have been infected with the virus, following a complaint by a member of the staff of DAAR Communications PLC at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 that the staff and people related to the founder of the organisation, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who tested positive for COVID-19, were being stigmatised.

Ihekweazu said: “Concerning stigmatization for persons who are infected with COVID-19, and maintaining the balance between social distancing and stigmatization, it is really unfortunate.

“Imagine what will be happening in the other parts of the country if this is really happening in Abuja, in homes or communities where individuals have been affected.

“We are in the beginning of a journey and the most likely scenario is that until we have a vaccine, we will have to learn to live with COVID-19 in our country.

“So if we start stigmatizing one another, I don’t know when it will stop because the same people that are stigmatising one group will end up being infected tomorrow. “

May 2, 2020
We are not aware of Control of Infectious Diseases Bill – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said it is not aware of the Control of Infectious Disease Bill, but seeks to work with the House of Representative on that.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of NCDC, said this during the daily Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19, on Thursday in Abuja.

A Bill for an Act to repeal the Quarantine Act, and enact the Control of Infectious Diseases Act, has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, sought to empower NCDC and make it more proactive.

Leading the debate, Gbajabiamila said that the NCDC had very little powers to carry out its mandate though it had great professionals.

Gbajabiamila said the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill sought to empower the NCDC and make it more proactive and not just reactive.

Ihekweazu said: “ I saw the bill like you all did on social media. I think the House of Representative members are doing their best to come up with solutions – new laws; so, I take it positively.

“Of course, the bill requires more consultation. I am personally not in favour of drafting a bill in the middle of a crisis.

“Let’s get out of crisis and then use the momentum to engage all stakeholders to come up with a bill that will serve us now and for the future,” he advised.

On molecular laboratories, he said that the NCDC’s goal was to have such a laboratory operating in the 36 states of the federation.

He said that the NCDC approach was that of a hub-and-spoke that would have a national reference laboratory in Abuja as the hub – organising the supply chain, data, information technology support – connected to all the other laboratories in the country.

Ihekweazu said that the agency wanted each molecular laboratory in Nigeria to be able to diagnose any significant infectious disease.

“Nigeria now has 3,500-bed spaces for COVID-19 across the country, but in Lagos, we are already struggling.

“We are going to work with them to make more spaces available. We may also have to start considering home care in certain circumstances,” he said.

Ihekweazu said that NCDC’s response strategy was adaptive to local contexts in each state and each community of the country.

He said that it had become clear that there was community transmission in Lagos, Kano and Abuja.

He gave the assurance that the agency was adapting its response to reality.

“This is why we are taking testing to communities and health facilities in these places,” he said.

He said that the NCDC team was responding in Kano to improve on the fight against the pandemic.

“ We now have two laboratories functioning, and a third one is in the pipeline,” he said.

He said that Nigerians needed to support health workers and not stigmatising the communities where they worked.

May 1, 2020
Gov. Bello tackles NCDC, says Covid-19 app working, insists no case in Kogi

The Kogi State Government has insisted that the State is free from the ravaging Coronavirus and accused Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director General of National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC of an unfair attempt to discredit, shame and defame her records.

The government berated the NCDC boss oover recent unsavoury comments he allegedly passed on states which are yet to report any case of the virus. This is the content of a statement by Kingsley Fanwo, the State Commissioner for Information and Communication.

Ihekweazu had in reports allegedly insinuated that states which are yet to record cases of COVID-19 are either negligent in testing and tracing, or actively hiding, the disease within their territories. But Fanwo wondered if states are in a competition on who harbours the highest infection of the lethal virus

The statement reads in part:
“Kogi State confesses that she is not aware the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria is a one-legged race to see which state can put as many cases as possible into the national incident basket, and even if such were to be the case, the current administration in Kogi State does not play such games with the lives and psychology of her people.

“The Governor of Kogi State does not believe that increasing the burden on the overwhelmed NCDC and the other agencies cum resources labouring in the frontlines of our response to this deadly pandemic, when neither case nor cause for such has genuinely risen in the state, is helping the country in any way.

“Kogi State has religiously followed all the NCDC and World Health Organization (WHO) CoviD-19 advisories, both for identifying cases and preventing spread.

“We have also adhered strictly to the various guidelines from, and directives of, the Federal Government, customised to improve both efficiency and efficacy within the peculiarities of our own circumstances.

‘While we are not surprised that they have worked for us so far in keeping our state CoviD-19 free, we do find it disconcerting that the lead agency in the fight is possibly expressing doubt in their efficacy while simultaneously denouncing us for following her own guidelines.

Fanwo reiterated that the state built a “self-assessment app hosted at kogicovid19.gov.ng around the NCDC’s checklist for ‘suspected and high risk’ cases and as at last week it has been visited nearly 200,000 times with over 14,000 completed self-assessments out of which only about 60 presented cause for further investigation which then failed to meet the Covid-19 spectrum.

“As of today we insist that Kogi State has no confirmed case of Covid-19, or any case to the knowledge of our vigilant medical structures across the state which matches the suspected or high risk factors for it. If the situation changes at this very moment we shall not hesitate for a second before alerting the NCDC.

April 29, 2020