Coronavirus: FG pledges N36m ransom to anyone with cure

In its bid to ensure that, its citizens are safe from the dreaded coronavirus, the Federal government has pledge a of N36million Prize for any Nigerian scientist who finds the cure.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu who gave the charge during the send forth party organized in honour of the former director of Chemical Technology in the ministry who recently retired Challenges Scientists to find solution to Virus.

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According to the minister, the N36 million pledge was to encourage the local scientists tog to venture into innovative and reassure them that Federal government is very much supportive to research and development.

The Minister further charged the scientists to be proactive in finding lasting solutions to human challenges to prove to the world that Nigeria has the capacity to address human problems not only at local scale but also at global level.

” I am confident that our scientists have what it takes to find solution to our problems and make Nigeria be self-reliant.  I have no doubt in my mind that they can do it.

“This is the only way we can reposition our nation to be self reliant: creating jobs, fight poverty and create wealth for our people in line with President Buhari’s agenda.”

“We are doing our best to encourage them in this regard. I challenge them to go into research and find solution to Coronavirus so that the world will know that we have the best minds we can be proud of.

 “I am challenging our scientists On behalf of the Ministry, I am pledging the sum of N36million for any Nigerian scientist that finds solution to  Coronavirus.

“We will not go to bed or rest until solution is found to this disease,” he added.

At least 25 countries have confirmed cases and several nations have evacuated their citizens from Hubei. Three deaths have been recorded outside mainland China – one in Hong Kong, one in the Philippine, and the most recent in Japan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the virus poses a “grave threat” to the world, with chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying the virus could have “more powerful consequences than any terrorist action”.

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday confirmed the 15th case of the coronavirus in the United States, and said the person under federal quarantine at an airbase in Texas was the latest confirmed case.

It is the first person under quarantine at the airbase among a group of people that arrived from China on February 7 who had symptoms and tested positive for the disease, the CDC said.