The Federal Government of Nigeria, on Thursday, expressed concerns over the recent case of infection amongst some students sitting for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE).
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, expressed the concerns in Abuja at the 59th joint national briefing of the task force.
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He said there was the need for more vigilance by the education sector and everyone else.
The country’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 have crossed the 50,000 mark, standing at 50,488, and a death toll of 985.
“These records are not landmarks to be celebrated, especially as every single death further underscores the grief and pains of families and friends, scuttled lives that could have contributed to national development and abridging God’s purpose for the lost soul.
“This is aptly demonstrated by the fact that 14 of these paid the supreme sacrifice as they were doctors, who toiled daily to save lives.
“We would continually pray for the repose of all the lost souls and work to ensure that their deaths are not in vain,” Mustapha said.
He added that the most edifying tribute and respect Nigerians could pay to the death was to do the basic minimum in avoiding such fatalities.
“The PTF would, therefore, not fail to continue on the path of moral persuasion because the superiority of personal conviction on grounds of morality remains a more effective and dignified approach in appealing to our individual and collective conscience on the need to wear our mask properly, maintain social distances, avoid crowded places and maintain personal hygiene,” the SGF said.
He expressed hope that when implementation of the National Policy on Ethics and Integrity that was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday commences, Nigerians would have the necessary incentive and impetus to always do the appropriate thing in all circumstances.
“The coronavirus continues to display unpredictable characteristics that show its relentless nature on populations that disregard common and simple protective measures.
“Such behaviour has been amplified in the surge in some states of the United States of America,” Mustapha said.
He added that this unpredictability was reflected in the last 24 hours when Plateau State witnessed the highest daily number of confirmed cases.
‘Youths should not be selfish’
The SGF also said that, in the last two days, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had issued warnings on Vaccine Nationalism and that young people were aiding the spread of the virus.
He said: “It would border on extreme selfishness for our youths to believe that, since they are asymptomatic carriers, they can carry on with life as they please.
“More so, that being asymptomatic does not guarantee immunity forever.
“The PTF is, however, encouraged by the fact that majority of our youths are in the vanguard of this fight and still call on the few non-conforming ones to join.”
Mustapha said that this call becomes more imperative with the realisation that from an initial ten 10 hotspot local government areas in the country, it has moved to 16 and now the nation has 20 of such, indicating spread to other areas.
‘Nigerians not getting tested’
Boss added that the National Response had shown that Nigeria is following the science through effective case management but needed to improve on the testing.
He said that the nation’s testing infrastructure had been increased to undertake up to 15,000 tests per day but that the nation is currently testing between 3,000 to 6,000 daily due mainly to people still not presenting themselves for testing.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to get tested.
He said: “The PTF continues to analyse and rely on data to forestall any sign of upsurge and adapting best global practices to sustain successes.
“That Nigeria, along with South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Algeria contributed to the recorded lowest weekly coronavirus confirmed cases is a testament of our successes.
“The challenge, therefore, remains for us to improve on the path of driving the pandemic out of Nigeria so that we can go back to our normal lives,” he added.
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