Covid-19 and PTF’s mandate extension

LEON USIGBE writes on the extension of the mandate of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Covid-19
pandemic by President Muhammadu Buhari and what it hopes to achieve going forward.

The world is faced with a second and potentially more malicious wave of the coronavirus pandemic and countries are frenetic in their efforts to curtail the spread. Added to the new wave is a new strain of the virus that has been reported to have the propensity to spread faster than the original one. While it may not be certain whether that strain is already in Nigeria, it is not unlikely that the country may already have been dealing with it. The federal government is not oblivious of the consequences of letting the nation’s guards down at a time the nation’s fragile health infrastructure are already struggling to keep up with cases; hence, the need to strengthen existing initiatives to keep Covid-19 under firm control.

To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the mandate of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 till the end of March 2021. Its tenure was due to end in December 2020. In doing this, the resident took into consideration the new surge in the number of cases and the bid for vaccines. The mandate extension coincided with the submission of the PTF’s End of Year 2020 Report to the president by the chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, and his team.

In explaining the rational for the mandate extension, Buhari said reports reaching him indicated that Nigeria is now facing a rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases nationwide, which is like the second wave of infections occurring in other countries across the world. He pointed out that new epicenters had been identified and the nation could not afford to lose the gains of the last nine months since the PTF began its assignment. “I have critically evaluated the situation and remain convinced that urgent measures have to be taken to halt the spread and the attendant fatalities. Closely associated with the foregoing is the need to speedily and strategically access and administer the COVID-19 vaccine in a safe, effective and timely manner. This is an important obligation that we owe Nigerians as we go into year 2021 and it must be carried out through efficient machinery,” Buhari said.

For the President, the nation is clearly in a perilous situation given the virulent nature of the second wave and, therefore, government must act decisively to protect citizens. This, in the president’s estimation, will require all sub-national entities, traditional rulers, religious and leaders of thought to collaborate with the PTF by taking up the responsibility for risk communication and community engagement at all levels. He thinks now is the time for collective efforts to be intensified.

Before the mandate extension, the PTF had submitted eight interim and one mid-term reports to the president, detailing the progress of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic followed by his approval of several far-reaching measures recommended to support the attainment of the objectives of the response. Buhari expressed satisfaction with what had been done by the task force to manage the control of the pandemic since March 2020, attributing the success largely to the multi-sectoral approach adopted by the government, the proactive steps taken and the commitment of its members.

Mustapha had, prior to the mandate extension, also spoken on the efforts of the PTF, which led to the execution of interventions geared towards achieving epidemic control of Covid-19. These efforts, he told the president, were driven by science and data; designed to achieve three primary aims of epidemic control by interrupting viral transmission, reducing the risk of the health system being overwhelmed due to increased demand; and minimizing mortality among the most vulnerable parts of the population. The other objectives, he said, include the reinvigoration of Nigeria’s health system, infrastructure, and manpower to enable the country to conveniently confront any future outbreak and build its potentials for medical tourism.

According to the SGF, the operations of the task force had been driven by a multi-sectoral process, which he said, facilitated expansive and in-depth consideration of issues as well as speedy decision making. He told the president that the process enjoyed the overwhelming support of the partners from the private sector and the international community, which enabled the country to put in place critical infrastructure nationwide, procure scarce medical equipment, test kits, and personal protective materials, among others.

Mustapha reported that during its lifespan so far, the PTF was also able to deliver palliatives to Nigerians in the various states and for transparency, operate two web portals for the tracking of resources mobilized from all sources. Beyond this, there is also a national register of the resources mobilized. He outlined specific achievements in the areas of funding, healthcare, infrastructure development, human capacity building, communication, and social welfare. Apart from the achievements, Mustapha also stressed the challenges encountered by the PTF and the lessons it has learnt. They include benefits derivable from multi-sectoral collaboration to address issues, effective communication with Nigerians; under emergency conditions, that well-rounded considerations should be given to all sectors and that the health sector will require major reforms and must be proactive.

Other lessons are that economic sustainable, recovery and preservation of lives and livelihoods remain critical for effective governance just as structured data collection, analysis, and retrieval, and that the phenomenon of evacuation of citizens from all over the world should become a significant policy issue for government. The SGF similarly pointed out that the PTF learnt that across board, several public sector roles, practices, systems, and some statutes require review/revision to effectively respond to extreme emergency situations; there’s need to urgently establish a dedicated fund to address all pandemics and outbreaks, and the significance of building on synergy established with the private sector, the National Assembly and the subnational entities.

Within the period of the mandate extension, the PTF hopes to recalibrate to enable it to respond more effectively to the new dynamics with the pandemic, particularly the new wave of infections and the arrival of vaccines. Towards this, Mustapha affirms that in 2021, major decisions will be taken on the issue of vaccines and in line with its mandate, the PTF is working to ensure that Nigeria is able to access and deploy the vaccines in a safe, effective, timely and economically prudent manner.

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