The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Coronavirus Disease has formally stated Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to President Muhammadu Buhari for what it termed the governor’s opposed mind-set to the body.

The Task Force is additionally displeased with Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) for allegedly not cooperating with the committee in the combat against COVID-19. Similarly unimpressed by way of the attitudes of the Kogi and Cross River State governments is the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), mainly on claims by using the two states that they are coronavirus free. The association says the two states need to follow the checking out guidelines issued by means of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before having such bragging rights. The Federal Government may additionally impose a lockdown on Kogi State or declare a country of emergency if Governor Bello continues to defy the PTF. Sources said the Kogi governor who is normally perceived as a core Buharist stands the chance of losing the favour he currently enjoys from the Villa. The PTF, in accordance to sources, is irritated at the “very poor” mind-set of Bello to the management of Coronavirus epidemic, which has led to the habits of solely two checks so some distance in his state. The committee suspects that the country might also be suppressing data about Coronavirus infections in its territory, going by way of the governor’s alleged maltreatment of NCDC officials sent to the state on Thursday. The four-man NCDC team to the State was allegedly hounded and escorted out of Lokoja with the aid of some policemen and security sellers up to the airport road in Abuja on the order of the governor. The development and reviews of some cases at the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja, the kingdom capital are said to have fueled suspicion by the PTF that the country has extra to disguise on COVID-19. Consequently, the PTF has met with all the protection corporations to “keep them abreast of the breach of the Quarantine Act by using the state government.” A pinnacle level source said: “The data at our disposal have shown that Kogi is at the chance of COVID-19 due to the fact it is a melting point for inter-state travelers and it shares borders with 12 states (about one-third of the states in the Federation) which had recorded infections. The border States are Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Kwara, Niger, Anambra, Niger, Enugu, Osun, FCT, Plateau and Benue. “Kogi has solely carried out two tests in spite of the growing rate of community spread. We were taken aback that the kingdom government has refused to fulfill its responsibilities as enshrined in the Quarantine Act 1990 CAP 384 LFN. “Yet, the PTF has been very polite in pertaining to with Bello. For instance, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire on Tuesday known as the governor and it was agreed that a four-man team of NCDC would be despatched to the state. “But whilst receiving the four-man crew on Thursday, he said they should handover the letter they delivered to the state Commissioner for Health. In the process, the commissioner had contact with the head of the team and the governor sparked with the aid of ordering his on the spot quarantine. “Following refusal to be quarantined, the governor humiliated the team with the aid of ensuring that they had been escorted through armed police out of Lokoja to the airport road in Abuja.” Another dependable supply said: “The PTF was once briefed with the aid of the team which went to Kogi State. And the committee in flip held a meeting with safety corporations where the governor’s unbecoming attitude used to be formally reported. “The PTF contributors also unanimously decided to document the governor to President Muhammadu Buhari for the reason that he has usually boasted that he has the ears of the President. “The role of the committee is for the President to invoke his powers in the 1999 Constitution to declare a state of emergency in Kogi State or use his inherent authority in the Quarantine Act to impose lockdown on the state. “The PTF believes any of these steps need to be taken if the governor remains recalcitrant. It is left to the President to figure out the destiny of Kogi State. “Although the governor is a preferred of the Presidential Villa, it is doubtful if he can have his way. He is overstretching his luck.” Committee additionally displeased with Wike, Ayade Investigation additionally confirmed that the PTF was once equally angry with Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) for “not cooperating with the committee on containment of COVID-19.” A member of the mission pressure said: “These two governors are no longer doing sufficient to comprise the coronavirus; they are taking part in politics with it. They have no longer paid serious attention to the marketing campaign in opposition to COVID-19. “These two governors are additionally underneath watch due to the fact we won’t enable them to derail our efforts at containing the epidemic. What we are disturbing from the governors are concrete steps to give up neighborhood spread, no longer taking part in to the gallery. Enough of politics with COVID-19. “Ayade sees the entire COVID-19 epidemic as now not real but an strive to make money.” The Cross River governor as soon as said: “I assume Africans must come together to the realization that it is no longer vaccines. It is healthful living. Give human beings jobs. Thabo Mbeki as soon as told the world, ‘don’t tell us about giving us HIV tablets in South Africa. Give us cash let us enhance our agriculture.’ Let anyone have a job and is working and living healthy. HIV virus will disappear; the identical issue with coronavirus. “It would sound very controversial but you have to comprehend that I am speaking from a sound mental and scientific background. “The virus itself, the check approach itself, the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) check technique is an unreliable approach and is in no way to be used for diagnostic motive but genomic sequencing, for just research purposes.“But the PCR is being used, test kits are being produced. Test kits manufacturers are making cool money. If I check you and you are coronavirus positive, what do I do? There are no vaccines. There is no established approved global cure protocol.” It may want to no longer be right now ascertained whether the President might also impose lockdown on Rivers and Cross River States. A highly-placed supply said: “We won’t enable the scenario in these two states to deteriorate, we are monitoring them closely.” The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), in a current assertion said the President has power to deal with the situation reports in Kogi, Rivers and Cross River States having taken similar measures in Lagos, FCT and Ogun. Malami said: “Section three of the Act enables the President to declare any section of Nigeria as an infected area. Section four of the Act similarly empowers the President to make guidelines to forestall the introduction, spread and transmission of any dangerous infectious disease. “Section 6 of the Act requires the President and State Governors to grant sanitary stations, buildings and equipment. Thus, in attention of the critical roles being performed via the nation Governors in these making an attempt times, the Federal Government has been working with the states in line with the dictates of Section 6 of the Act,” he said. “It is essential to inform the discerning contributors of the public that the President did now not make a statement of a country of emergency below Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which would have required the concurrence of both houses of the country wide assembly. “Even at that Section 305(6)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) lets in a proclamation of a State of Emergency to run for a length of 10 days except the approval of the National Assembly when the parliament is now not in session as in the current state of affairs wherein the National Assembly has shut down.” NMA slams claims by using Kogi, Cross River to be COVID-19 free Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) the previous day faulted claims by using Kogi and Cross River States to be coronavirus (COVID-19) free, pronouncing the states should ensure that they comply with the testing suggestions issued with the aid of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The association advised the Federal Government to investigate the claims of the two country governments in the activity of safeguarding Nigeria’s public health. The President of the NMA, Dr. Francis Faduyile, in a announcement the day prior to this in Abuja, said “pronouncements of some political leaders represent outright interference in NCDC’s coordination of case therapy for effectiveness and gaining knowledge of lessons.” The NMA “vehemently decries the stance of the Governments of Kogi and Cross River states to NCDC’s advisory.” It added: “While it would be welcome news for a ‘no-positive-case’ fame in any kingdom or FCT, each and every country need to make sure that it is following the testing tenet issued by the NCDC. “That way, no instances are missed, as that would critically imperil the complete national response to controlling COVID-19 pandemic.” The NMA appealed to the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force (PTF), to look at the claims of the two nation governments in the activity of safeguarding Nigeria’s Public Health, and to advise suitable remedial intervention (s) if crucial to Mr. President. It said: “NMA evaluate published verifiable difficulties in collecting samples, transporting them in the applicable media and dearth of test kits by way of the Coordinating authorities. This improvement is coming a few days after being instructed of the markedly increased capacity of 50,000 samples per day in 21 laboratories to ramp up testing nationwide. “The Association places the duty on the PTF and the NCDC to find the fastest achievable solutions to repair this challenge, which includes incorporating the accepted non-public region laboratories that already have mounted specimen pick up and transport modalities.” On the Infectious Diseases Control Bill 2020, proposed by way of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, the NMA stated it welcomed the unravel of the House to difficulty the Bill to a Public Hearing. It called for the withdrawal of the Bill completely and redrafting it to remove any current and future doubts in the people. “The NMA is now not oblivious of the socio-political and financial implications of persisted lockdown, and the attendant starvation and acute deprivation in the population. But the NMA keeps the association view that the answer is now not to loosen the lockdown prematurely, for that assures extra catastrophic worsening of the contamination and deaths from coronavirus. “Instead, The NMA proffers that the answer lies in a greater strong and widened palliatives’ coverage and its sensible and urgent implementation. “NMA welcomes the announcement of Special Risk Allowance and Insurance for Healthcare Workers and has referred to as lots already. “We consequently strongly demand that there have to be no similarly extend in commencement of the charge of the announced sums or contemplation of nice date of implementation as it used to be of common know-how when COVID-19 became a public fitness emergency in Nigeria.”