House Of Reps Calls For Conversion Of Schools To Emergency Care Centres

The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to call on the Federal Ministry of Education to immediately make available, the now-vacated hostels of federal government colleges across the country, for use as emergency care centres and isolation units by the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to contain the novel Coronavirus.

The house made the resolution after debate on a motion of urgent public importance on the need for the federal government to adopt emergency measures to protect the people and economy of Nigeria from the dire consequences of a widespread outbreak of the virus, also known COVID – 19 amongst the population.

The green chambers said the resolution was necessary because of the rising cases of the virus and the management of high numbers of people requiring treatment from the virus.

The motion was sponsored by Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, Representatives Ahmed Wase, Alhassan Ado Garba, Peter Akpatason, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Nkiruka Onyeajocha, Ndudi Godwin Elumelu, Toby Okechukwu,  Gideon Gwani Lucas and Adesegun Adekoya Abdul Majid.

Recall that NCDC on Monday in an interview with this paper, said the country does not have isolation centres for travelers entering the country because it would be impossible to have such facility, adding that the centre had put in place a quarantine facility at Gwagwalada where those infected would be isolated and treated.

Other resolutions of the house include:

a. To mandate the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to immediately develop contingency plans for the establishment of emergency care facilities at the Federal Government Colleges. These contingency plans should include cost estimates for the provision of equipment, material, medicines and other such requirements as may become necessary;

b. To further direct the Federal Ministry of Health, to work with the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) and other such stakeholders to develop plans for the deployment of a corps of doctors and medical professionals to these emergency care centres as the need arises;

c. To urge the Central Bank of Nigeria as part of its Policy Measures in response to Covid – 19 to act urgently to fully fund the establishment and operations of these emergency health centres across the country.

2. To invite the governor and senior management of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to brief the leadership of the House on the details of the Central Bank’s Policy Measures in Response to the Covid – 19 Outbreak including the procedure and requirements for the disbursement of earmarked intervention funds under the emergency policy measure.

3. That the House commends the activities thus far taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria to prevent the occurrence of COVID – 19 pandemic in the country and further urges the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to exercise his authority under the Customs, Excise Tariffs, Etc. (Consolidation) Act to remove any import or excise duty on essential medical equipment as determined by the Minister of Health to be necessary for the management of Covid – 19 diseases in the country.

Since the outbreak of the virus in the country in February, Nigeria has recorded 42 cases with one death.