The Chairman, Senate Commitee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP Enugu North ), has called on relevant authorities to be proactive in preventing the third wave of the dreaded COVID – 19 pandemic from entering Nigeria.
Utazi who made the admonition on Friday in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists on wide range of issues in the land , called for reinforcement of Health Personnel being deployed to designated International Airports and seaports in the country for thorough monitoring of people going out and coming into the country.
He lamented that the porous land borders across the country are being left out of the required pro active measures which must be looked into , very urgently.
“The porous land borders have more of influx of people into the country , particularly from the neighbouring ECOWAS States.
“Measures ought to have been put in place to also have health personnel at the borders, but for lack of adequate funding for the Ministry of Health which the National Assembly is ready at anytime to address through required appropriation if request is made to that effect”, he said .
Utazi warned Nigerians not to relapse on applying the preventive measures put in place by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to curb the spread of the virus just as he reminded them that government’s decision to relax the lockdown due to its negative economic effects, implies that government has handed over the responsibility for safety to citizens.
“It is therefore left for every individual to strive to protect him or herself from the virus by wearing facemask properly, avoiding large crowds, washing hands regularly”, he stressed.
On the lingering problems of insecurity confronting the Nation with attendant agitations here and there , Senator Utazi called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to speak to Nigerians in dousing the tension in the land .
According to him, the stage at which the Country is now, , no longer suits speaking to Nigerians through Presidential Aides, as this has proven none-sufficient to the citizens who yearn to hear from the President whom they elected into office.
“An Igbo adage says that where a child is crying and pointing his hands to, if his mother is not there, his father must be there.
” The agitations, are reactions from people who feel dissatisfied with the way things are going but can be pacified with solutions – seeking speech from the President,” he added.
