“We Are Supposed To Be Very Serious About The Health Of Our People” – Ahmad Lawan Blasts Health Ministers

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has condemned the absence of the nation’s health ministers at a national summit on COVID-19.

The Senate President lamented that both the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora were absent at Monday’s National COVID-19 Summit.

Lawan further fumed that not even the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mahmuda Mamman was present at the summit which was supposed to be a forum for stakeholders to discuss how to curb the challenges posed by the virus.

“Before I begin my remarks, is the permanent secretary ministry of health here? I asked that question because the two ministers of health are not here. The Minister of Health, the Minister of State and the permanent secretary are not here. I believe this is not good,” he said.

After the outburst, the Senate President’s attention was called to the fact that Health Minister, Ehanire was present earlier but had left before Lawan’s speech but in response, the number three man of Nigeria said even if the Minister had to leave, it is not good enough that nobody is representing him or the health ministry which will be charged with taking action on delibrations from the summit.

Lawan said the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 is simply an interventionist outfit and can’t play the role of the Ministry.

“Yes, he 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,” the Senate President said.

Naija News understands the summit had as its theme, ‘ending the pandemic’ and with the theme: “Pushing Through the Last Mile to End the Pandemic and Build Back Better”.

Meanwhile, the federal government has accused the United Kingdom of unjust, unfair, punitive, indefensible and discriminatory behaviour over its decision to slam a travel ban on Nigeria due to discovered cases of COVID-19 Omicron cases.

The federal government through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the step taken by the UK government is not based on science as Nigeria does not belong on the red list of any country.

The Minister who made the position known while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday gave a hint that the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) will also take a retaliatory decision on the matter soon.