Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister, Zainab Ahmed, on Saturday, met with the leadership of the National Assembly to intimate it on an Executive proposal to establish a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund.
Ola Awoniyi, the Special Adviser to the President of Senate, Ahmad Lawan, in a statement, said that the minister held the meeting with the President of the Senate and senior officials of the ministry at the National Assembly Complex in the Federal Capital Territory.
Also in attendance were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, and some principal officers of both Chambers.
The meeting is a follow-up to another one held on March 25 between the National Assembly leadership and members of the Presidential Committee set up for the management of the COVID-19 crisis.
“What we are proposing is the establishment of a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund.
“This Fund that we are proposing should be created will involve mopping up resources from various special accounts that the government as well as the Federation have to be able to pull this N500 billion,” the minister said.
Ahmed added that in addition to the identified special accounts from where the money would be drawn as loans, the proposed intervention fund would also be sourced from grants being expected and loans from multilateral institutions.
“Our general view is that this crisis intervention fund is to be utilised to upgrade healthcare facilities as earlier identified.
“The Federal Government also needs to be in a position to improve health care facilities not only in the states but to provide intervention to the states,’’ she said.
Ahmed explained to the lawmakers that the Fund, if approved, would also take care of special Public Work Programmes currently being implemented by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
“We know that there will be a need for the parliament to agree and approve the taking of loans from these special accounts and we will be coming back with a proposed bill in that regard that will define what the fund will be used for,’’ the minister said.
Earlier in his remarks, the Senate President said the meeting was in fulfilment of an earlier promise to provide support as the need arises in this time of crisis.
“Just like we told Nigerians, when there is need for us to meet or to take legislative action in support of ensuring that the government responds appropriately to development issues and challenges in the country, we will do so.
“This meeting, the second in the series after we shut down the National Assembly for two weeks, is a clear testimony of what we have said.
“Governance requires that we work together, so we want to listen to those things that you have on your side and how we can also play our constitutional role in ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from governance.
“And to also see how we are able to weather the storm created by COVID-19.
“Going forward, we need to interact more because very fundamental decisions will need to be taken, and these decisions can only be said to be constitutionally legal if the legislature gives its stamp of authority for the executive to implement and execute.
“I think coming to us for those loans is critical because we are in an emergency and time is of the essence.
“So, we must work as expeditiously as possible to ensure that we place the request before the National Assembly.
“I think time has come for us to redefine the implementation of the Social Intervention Programme, because probably going out to communities to give them N20,000 per person might not be the best way to go.
“It is still an effort, but I think we need a better approach that will be more efficient,’’ Lawan said.
In the United States (U.S.), Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York thanked the Chinese government for facilitating the transfer of 1,000 ventilators which are being donated to the hard-hit state, the current epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak.
“This is a big deal, and this is going to make a significant difference for us,” Cuomo said at a daily briefing on Saturday.
The donation – from Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai, of Alibaba – would arrive later in the day.
The western state of Oregon was also sending 140 ventilators.
Cuomo said the donations were “really good news,” as the state pushes up against the apex of the outbreak, which is likely to hit in about seven days.
“We are not yet at the apex. We are getting closer,” Cuomo said, adding that this was good as it gave the authorities more time to prepare.
The state, like other areas of the U.S., is facing shortages of medical gear, including masks and ventilators.
Cuomo said 113,704 people in New York have tested positive for coronavirus, with 15,000 having been hospitalised.
The state’s death toll reached 3,565, up from 2,935 the previous day, a significant spike.
There are at least 7,163 deaths across the U.S. and 278,568 confirmed cases.
There is sharp criticism of the White House for not better coordinating the supply of medical goods to states, who end up competing with each other on the open market.
President Donald Trump has at times tried to shift blame to the individual states.
In Italy, medical staff are under “unspeakable and unbearable stress” as they risk their lives in the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic, a union representative said on Saturday.
Italy has the world’s highest official death toll from the epidemic, with 14,681 COVID-19 fatalities reported by Friday, along with nearly 120,000 infections.
Among doctors, nurses and care workers, there are around 120 dead and 11,252 infected, Carlo Palermo, Head of the Anaao Assomed Doctors’ Trade Union, told a group of foreign journalists.
“The number of infected is growing at a shocking rate,’’ he said.
Among the dead, there are two nurses who have taken their own lives.
Commenting on this, Palermo said the emotional strain on staff in COVID-19 hospital wards is huge.
“They face death every day, and it’s not easy.
“They have even replaced priests because they, and not relatives, give the last goodbye to patients,’’ he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
COVID-19 patients die alone in the hospital, as visits are banned due to the risks of infection.
There are also strict restrictions on funerals, which can be attended by very small groups of people.
Palermo said medical staff, including family doctors, working outside hospitals, were initially left without adequate protective gear, due to a general underestimation of the threat posed by the virus.
“We were unprepared, it’s no use beating around the bush,’’ he said.
In January, there was a “strange surge in bronchial pneumonia’’ cases, but this was not linked to the novel coronavirus that had been recently detected in China, Palermo recalled.
In the northern region of Lombardy, the hotspot of Italy’s epidemic, the virus spread initially in hospitals, from patients, who were not recognised as new coronavirus cases.
The failure early on to isolate infected cases and to give higher-grade masks to doctors and nurses, rather than simple surgical ones, escalated the contagion, Palermo said.
The situation has improved in crisis-hit regions like Lombardy, while there are still protective gear shortages in central and southern regions where the epidemic is less serious, the trade unionist reported.
“Italy was the first country in the Western world to face such a big and unexpected problem.
“… We all expected the virus to stay confined in China, but that’s not how it was,’’ he said.
Palermo said Italy and other nations need a long-term strategy because once the acute phase of the epidemic is over, the virus will stay with us until a vaccine is found.
“Nobody should be under any illusions, this will totally change the way in which we live,’’ he said.
“You can be certain we will have new outbreaks, as is already happening in China.’’
In Lagos State, the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has tested negative for Coronavirus.
Hamzat stated the result of his status through his twitter handle on Saturday.
He said that the COVID-19 test was not a pleasant experience.
He said that it was important for him to do it because as a leader, nothing should distract him from his role at this period.
He thanked all health workers and appealed to the residents of the state to play their role and ended the tweet with the hashtag #StayHomeSaveLives.
A breakdown of the cases by states shows that Lagos now has 109 cases; Abuja- 41; Osun- 22; Oyo- eight; Edo- seven; Akwa Ibom- five; Ogun and Kaduna have four cases each.
Others are: Bauchi- three; Enugu and Ekiti- two cases each, while Rivers, Benue and Ondo States have one case respectively.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has pleaded with the Federal Government not to get Chinese medical team involved in the fight against Coronavirus in the country.
Mr Chris Isiguzo, NUJ President in a statement on Saturday, said the union was alarmed by the decision of the Federal Government to bring Chinese Medical doctors into Nigeria to fight COVID-19.
According to Isiguzo, the Nigerian medical doctors are doing exceptionally well in fighting the outbreak.
“We caution that it will be counter productive to bring in Chinese doctors. We reject a situation where Nigerians will be used as a Guinea pig for any experiment.
“Thus, it is pertinent to plead with the Federal Government to stop this Medical Team from coming to Nigeria because of the Italian example where there was an inexplicable spike in COVID-19 related deaths when the Chinese doctors arrived the country.
“The Federal Government should as a matter of urgent concern investigate the allegation, that what is happening today is associated with the launch of the 5G communication network as Nigerians are becoming more agitated.
“We urge the Federal Government to be more proactive in dealing with these emerging issues because any mistake made will be catastrophic,” Isiguzo submitted.
In Spain, the daily pace of new coronavirus infections and deaths slowed again on Saturday as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was expected to announce a new extension to lockdown measures that have confined most Spaniards to their homes for three weeks.
The total death toll rose to 11,744 – the world’s second highest – on Saturday from 10,935 the day before.
The Health Ministry said the figure represents a 7 per cent increase in total deaths after a nine per cent rise on Friday.
That is less than half the pace of the around 20 per cent increase registered a week ago.
A total of 809 people died from the disease over the past 24 hours, down from Friday’s 932 and Thursday’s daily record of 950, the figures showed.
Meanwhile, the total number of registered infections rose to 124,736 on Saturday from 117,710 on Friday, when Spain overtook Italy in the total number of infections for the first time.
Some of Madrid’s most famous tourist sites, such as the Royal Palace and Las Ventas bullring, stood eerily quiet on Saturday, as Spaniards readied themselves for a fourth week living under one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns.
Only employees in essential sectors such as health are free to travel to and from work.
Restaurants, bars and shops are shuttered while social gatherings are banned.
In a press conference on Friday, Health Minister, Salvador Illa, said Premier Sanchez would call opposition leaders, following a meeting of his coronavirus task force on Saturday to let them know his decision on extending the lockdown from the current end date of April 13.
Health officials say the slowdown in new infections proves the effectiveness of the lockdown in place.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has commended Nigerian Army High Command for arresting two soldiers who were caught on video unleashing mayhem on women and residents of Warri.
Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, who gave the commendation in a statement on Saturday in Asaba, said the soldiers were caught in an online video.
Aniagwu expressed worries that soldiers who were supposed to be highly disciplined would indulge in such acts of brutality and threats to women.
He said that the soldiers were reportedly arrested at the 9 Brigade Military Cantonment, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday.
The commissioner said that the military was a special force known for its discipline and wondered where the errant soldiers got their training and orientation from.
He called on the people to remain peaceful and continue to obey government directives which, according to him, are designed to protect the people from the dreaded Coronavirus.
“You will recall that in our statement on Friday, we said the attitude of the soldiers did not represent the discipline and training associated with military personnel.
“Let me on behalf of the Delta State Government thank the military high command for arresting the deviant soldiers who were bent on tarnishing the image of the army.
“The arrest of the soldiers in the viral video will no doubt restore the confidence of Nigerians in the military.
“It is worrisome that soldiers who were supposed to be highly disciplined would indulge in such acts of brutality and threats to women”.
“We call on the military high command to carry out full investigation into the matter with a view to bringing the culprits to justice.
“As a government, we will continue to partner security agencies to ensure the peace and economic development of our state,” Aniagwu said.
In Abuja, the Joint Operation Task -Team for the Enforcement of Federal Government’s lockdown order said it had impounded 51 cars, nine tricycles and 46 motorcycles in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
He said the cars, tricycles and motorcycles were confiscated over failure of the owners to comply with the presidential order issued to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the territory.
Manzah said the enforcement team, led by the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of FCT Command, Mr Bala Ciroma, impounded the items during its operation.
The PPRO said the items were impounded in Nyanya, Dutse Alhaji, Karu, Jabi, Kado, Life-camp, Mpape, Zuba and other parts of FCT.
He said the team leaders warned that cars, tricycles or motorcycles impounded for violating the presidential order would remain in police custody till the 14 days lockdown period was lifted.
Manzah said the CP called on the public to be law abiding and support the ongoing effort by the government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He enjoined FCT residents to adhere strictly to the new guideline issued by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, that permited markets selling food items in the neighbourhoods to open from 10a.m. to 2p.m. every other day.
According to him, all FCT residents are expected to remain in their respective homes on Sunday, as violators will be arrested.
Manzah, however, urged residents to call the FCT Police Command Control Room on its hotlines, 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 or 08028940883 in case of distress.
