FG Late In Responding To COVID-19 – Nigerian Academy Of Science

This is a strong indictment on the administration of President Muhamadu Buhari and it is coming from a reputable federal government agency not the opposition political party.

It is an indictment on the federal government that its measures to checkmate the COVID-19 came late and therefore did not meet its expectations.

This is the submission of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the country’s apex body of scientists, and it specifically faulted the failure to monitor visitors who arrived from high risk countries, as well as the delay in stopping flights coming into Nigeria from such nations.

This submission is a sharp contrast to the government’s position that it was well prepared for the breakout of the virus.

President of the NAS, Prof. Mosto Onuoha who spoke in an interview with the Punch, said it had become late when the federal government began to act.

“The response was late in many areas – we should have been monitoring people coming from high risk areas.

“The Federal Government should have stopped flights coming from some countries early enough but that was not done until it became late.

“It was as if the Federal Government could not take that action because it was afraid of those countries due to the fact that we depend on them in many areas.”

The reporter’s investigations also revealed that the federal government was regularly advised on relevant issues as they concern the country’s science and technology, including how to tackle the disease but that the actions did not come on time.

According to the report, “ The academy sent its advice to the government after the World Health Organisation listed Nigeria among 13 African countries that were vulnerable to the disease due to close economic contacts with China, the country where the pandemic originated from.

The Federal Government’s reaction to the WHO warning was to set aside the sum of N620m, reportedly to monitor, detect and contain the virus in a bid to prevent an outbreak of the disease in the country.

With the disease now in the country, the NAS also believes that the government is not conducting enough tests”..

Onuoha also said that tests being conducted were not enough to detect those that are already infected and that not many people as it should be are being tested.

“Many of the states were not doing anything. Apart from Lagos State, many of them did not have anything on the ground until they had their first cases.

“Also, the Federal Government did not do much to carry the states along in plans to check the disease,”

“People are flouting some of the directives issued by the government and the WHO on ways to curb the spread.

“Even there are so many people that believe the disease is not for them.”, he said, affirming that all these affected the capacity to contain the virus.