The Federal House of Representatives is to suspend plenary for two weeks to enable the management of the National Assembly install facilities to screen and detect Coronavirus in the complex.
This followed the adoption of an amendment to a motion under matters of urgent public importance on the need for emergency response and tackling the deadly virus in Nigeria.
While moving the amendment, the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu lamented that there were no facilities to check people entering the National Assembly Complex to detect for possible coronavirus.
“I urge the leadership of the National Assembly to suspend plenary for two weeks to allow management to sanitise and put facilities in place to detect the virus.
Let the Committee on Health and other relevant committees ensure compliance.” Elumelu said.
Moving the motion earlier, Mr. Idem Unyime from Akwa Ibom State said that there was need for the leadership of the assembly to constitute a committee to interface with government to eliminate the virus.
The lawmaker also stressed the need to intensify surveillance at all national borders and called for the immediate activation of centres designated for Ebola treatment.
Emergency Funds
Mr. Idem said “there is urgent need for the release of more emergency funds to support the federal Minister of Health to eliminate the virus.”
He also stressed the need for risk communication to be intensified and laboratory services be expanded recommending that two isolation centres should be cited in each geo political zones.
The House recommended that government should convene an emergency national health conference for all health workers to come together to address the spread of the virus.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rep. Ahmed Wase, who presided over the plenary, mandated all relevant committees of the house to ensure compliance.
Nigeria recorded its first case of Coronavirus disease in Lagos on 27 day of February by an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria.
