CORONAVIRUS: BUHARI SETS UP TASK FORCE

Following the confirmation of a second case of coronavirus in Nigeria by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Monday, the Federal Government moved to stop the spread of the disease as the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), set up a 12-man Presidential Task Force for the Control of Coronavirus-19.

According to the minister, the Federal Government had so far committed about N1bn to monitoring and preventing the spread of the disease.

The presidential task force is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha. A State House statement by Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu, announced the appointment on Monday.

READ MORE BREAKING NEWS HERE

Shehu said, “Given the current global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus and its potential of causing significant disruption to health services in the country as well as impacting negatively on the economy, President Muhammadu Buhari has established a Presidential Task Force for the Control of the Coronavirus-19 Disease.

“This action is in preparation for the unlikely but probable major outbreak of the disease in the country which will require a multi-sectoral inter-governmental approach as advised by the World Health Organisation similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades.”

FOR LIVE RATES OF DOLLAR TO NAIRA, CLICK HERE

The committee, whose National Coordinator is Dr Sani Aliyu, has a mandate of six months to deliver on the assignment. Other members include the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire; Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Services, Sadiya Umar-Farouk; Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu; Minister of Environment, Mohammed Mahmoud; Director General, Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control; Chikwe Ihekweazu; and World Health Organisation Country Representative.