Poverty, Nigeria’s strongest weapon against COVID-19 – PTF coordinator

by Michael Babatunde on September 16, 2020 in news

Dr Sani Aliyu

THE Senate on Tuesday reviewed the nation ’ s fight against the COVID - 19 pandemic and submitted that the European style adopted by the Presidential Task Force , which is coordinating the exercise , was killing Nigeria ’ s economy .

But the National Coordinator of the PTF , Dr Sani Aliyu, said poverty was the strongest weapon used in Nigeria to fight the pandemic .

Both parties spoke at an interactive session between the Joint Senate Committee on Health and Aviation , members of the PTF and other stakeholders in the Aviation and Health sectors.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman , Senate Committee on Aviation , Senator Smart Adeyemi , admitted that COVID - 19 was real , but that it was not potent in Nigeria and many African countries.

Adeyemi said based on the reality on the ground , it is wrong for stakeholders in the country to be “ swallowing hook line and sinker , measures being adopted to fight it in Europe, America, China and other foreign countries. ”

He said , “ There is something in us as Africans that is not in them in Europe and America, which made COVID -19 not to be disastrous here as it was there .

“ In the light of this , measures that are detrimental to the livelihood and well -being of Nigerians should be avoided , so as not to kill the nation ’ s economy. ”

Adeyemi said the measure was detrimental to an average Nigerian who was being forced to pay N 75, 000 for such tests .

He said , “ The amount is too high , it should be brought down and public health Institutions laboratories should be equipped to carry out the tests . ”

In her contribution, Senator Biodun Olujimi tackled the Minister of Health , Dr Osagie Ehanire , and the PTF National Coordinator, Aliyu on the relevance of face masks in Nigeria based on realities on the ground .

She later asked the PTF National Coordinator, reasons behind the success story in Nigeria .

Aliyu responded by saying that the three reasons already identified “ are poverty , demography and the aggressive nature of African countries against the pandemic. ”