The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it is appalling that President Muhammadu Buhari, in his Monday’s COVID-19 address, allegedly failed to offer decisive solutions to protect Nigerians from the deadly pandemic.
The party, in a statement Monday night by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, also expressed disappointment that President Buhari did not offer any post lockdown stimulus to assist Nigerians in the private sector, whose businesses had been crippled by the lockdown and are now faced with the burden of workers’ salaries and business refinancing.
The PDP lamented that apart from the elementary lockdown and alleged failed palliative showboating, President Buhari did not offer a decisive solution regarding the production of drugs, testing kits and management of equipment to safeguard Nigerians, despite the huge resources at the disposal of his administration.
The party added that President Buhari did not address the demands by Nigerians to end “his administration’s political parochialism” and engage competent hands, including indigenous researchers, equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical, medical as well as virology experts to infuse home grown therapeutic solutions in the overall effort.
“The party insists that had President Buhari heeded this demand by Nigerians at the onset of the pandemic, the situation would not have escalated to this frightening level with no solutions in sight.
“The PDP also finds it difficult to reconcile President Buhari’s assurances of adequate test kits with the disposition of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) which declared that it is desperately in shortage of test kits and other medical equipment to combat the scourge.
“Our party invites Nigerians to observe how countries like Senegal had effectively mobilized their indigenous medical researchers and manufacturers to produce low cost quick testing kits as well as ventilators while investing massively in the production of drugs for treatment of COVID-19 patients.”
He said the PDP had completely lost faith in the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, which is technically bogged down under the coordination of individuals that have not demonstrated required experience and proficiency to manage a serious pandemic like COVID-19.
“The PDP demands an immediate reorganization of the PTF to eliminate political underlining and vest the responsibility on known experts to galvanize our public and private institutions for solutions,” the party said.
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