The National Economic Council (NEC) has voiced alarm over the rising cases of COVID-19 infectious disease in Nigeria, saying “the current trends are now approaching or surpassing the levels reached during the lockdown imposed at the height of the epidemic earlier in the year.”
NEC said “the country is now experiencing a huge resurgence of COVID-19 patients needing intensive care and the existing health facilities are fast becoming overwhelmed.”
It said the trends showed that more younger people who might recover were getting infected but passed the virus to older and more vulnerable people, especially people with pre-existing health conditions, who developed serious illnesses and might lose their lives in the process.
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The monthly meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in a communiqué issue on Thursday, agreed to act on the strict enforcement of measures to contain the spread of the disease across the country.
The council enlarged the membership of its Ad-Hoc Committee on COVID-19 and mandated it to urgently come up with additional measures to deal with the spike in cases.
The Committee chaired by the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa with the Governors of Lagos, Bauchi, Plateau, Kano, Anambra and the FCT Minister, has now been enlarged with the addition of the Governors of Ogun and Kaduna.
The Minister of Health is also a member of the Committee, while the Federal Ministers of Information and Youth and Sports have also been asked to join.
Also, Health and Information Commissioners in the States would also now be co-opted into the assignment.
The Vice President asked the committee to urgently develop innovative and new measures to curtail the spread of the disease, acting in the best interests of both the health and overall welfare of Nigerians.
NEC re-emphasised the importance of adhering to safety measures as the country approached the end of the year, warning against social gatherings associated with the holiday season, particularly activities or behavior that might aggravate the situation and necessitated another lockdown.
The council, which encouraged States to take any further steps as may be considered necessary in their areas, urged traditional, social and religious leaders to play their own part by promptly taking responsible and decisive actions to help stop the spread and upsurge of the virus in Nigeria.
NEC, which voiced outrage on the kidnapping of the boys by terrorists in their school premises in Kankara, Katsina State, backed immediate steps already taken by the Federal and State governments to rescue the boys.
It urged more effective collaboration between security agencies and the communities to ensure that such despicable act does not repeat itself anywhere in the country.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, who reported the balances of the under listed accounts as at 17th December 2020, put Excess Crude Account (ECA) at $72,410,574.08; Stabilization Account ₦26,433,355,427.9; and Development of Natural Resources Account ₦156,690,002,234.58
