Senate President Ahmad Lawan, has slammed Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire and Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, and the Permanent Secretary, Mahmuda Mamman, over their absence at the National COVID-19 Summit.
Lawan, who, in his address at the submit, reviewed the country’s COVID-19 response from February 2020 to November 2021, expressed his disappointment over the top officials’ failure to attend such a crucial event.
His words, “Before I begin my remarks, is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health here? Well, I asked that question because the two ministers of health are not here,” he said.
“The Minister of Health, the Minister of State, and the permanent secretary are not here. I believe this is not good.
“He (Ehanire) just left but somebody should have replaced him because everything we do here, the Federal Ministry of Health is supposed to be here to garner all the resources that will come out of this.
“The PSC is simply an interventionist outfit. And as politicians and political leaders, we are supposed to be very serious and committed about the health of our people.”
Speaking further, Lawan said the emergence of Omicron was an indication that the pandemic was not yet over.
The Senate President urged everyone to work together to establish a sustainable approach in combating the new strain of COVID-19.
“The emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus points to the fact that the pandemic is yet… over, hence, we should not rest on our oars in fighting the pandemic,” he continued.
“However, our recent experience has also shown that outbreak of diseases affects not only the health sector but also the social – economic sector of the nation. To this end, there is a need for a continuous multi-sectoral approach that integrates multiple work plans and collaboration to establish a sustainable bio-security framework for Nigeria.
“As we are working towards ending the pandemic and building back a better Nigeria, an all- inclusive approach which focuses on addressing issues relating to the economy, health, housing, social security, infrastructure, etc. should be employed.”
