Gbajabiamila demands decisive, concerted action against COVID-19

Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has said the imperative of managing the possible socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is the reason behind the drastic steps taken by the House in adjourning for 14 days.

At the close of plenary on Tuesday and before the adjournment, Gbajabiamila explained that being a new disease that has taken the world by surprise with emerging socio-economic consequences, the House cannot afford to pretend that Nigeria would be insulated from global reactions.

As a result, the House adopted a motion and passed for third reading another bill, both aimed at holistically addressing the pandemic.   

Gbajabiamila said that “we gather here today in uncertain times for our country and indeed, for the whole of humanity. We are affronted by a new and deadly disease that threatens to forever alter the nature of our lives. We do not know how this virus and the disease it delivers have come to be. 

“We do not yet have a cure for this disease or a vaccine to protect against the virus. What we do know is that over the last six months, hundreds of thousands of people have been infected all over the world, thousands have died and the world economy is experiencing a contraction, unlike anything we have seen in recent history.

“It now falls to us, the government of the people to act quickly and decisively to forestall the worst consequences of a nightmare that has been made real. Before now, all the efforts of the government have been focused on preventing an outbreak in the country by enforcing a robust screening regime at our ports of entry. 

“It is now clear that the time has come for us to develop and implement a more robust strategy, one that prepares us for the possibility of a significant outbreak with the entire calamity that it entails. We are glad that the government is now doing exactly this.

“We have never experienced a time like this. And we’re not alone. From the United States and North America to Europe and Asia, all the countries of the world are reacting to the challenge of the moment by adopting aggressive approaches to managing the outbreak of the disease and radical interventions to protect their people from the additional ravages of a global economy that no longer adheres to the old expectations that have underpinned our planning, our projections, and expectations. 

“We owe it to our people to be just as aggressive and just as radical if doing so is what it will take to save our nation and prevent the tragedies of death, destitution and devastation that threaten us all.”

While disclosing that the House will adjourn for 14 days in the first instance, the speaker emphasized that it is not a holiday; rather, it is an act of necessity in furtherance of the social distancing and isolation guidelines that have proven to be effective in preventing secondary transmission of the COVID –19 pandemic. 

He said: “The leadership of the House will continue to observe developments and respond as the circumstances demand. If it becomes necessary, we may reconvene to act on emergency legislation and possible amendment of the Appropriation Act, 2020.

“The clerk of the National Assembly will maintain essential personnel to ensure full compliance with sanitation, health and safety requirements in the National Assembly.”

Following this, all House activities are suspended for the duration, whether those activities are scheduled to occur within the National Assembly or outside of it.

Members were also enjoined to show faithful leadership by restricting all non-essential movements and observing self-isolation and social distancing according to the guidelines of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).