Former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has urged the federal and state governments to concentrate on a local way of procuring a cure for coronavirus rather than relying on a global way of curing the virus.
This was just as he called on the Federal Government to lift the restrictions and allow some flexibility in order to ensure some level of work and economic activities within some parameters.
Agbakoba made this call on Monday in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, saying that for Nigeria to handle COVID-19 successfully, especially in view of its weak public health system and paucity of funds, there was the need for the Federal Government to interrogate available quinine medications and to engage Nigerian virologists and infectious diseases specialists, public health professionals and traditional and herbal medicine institutions.
According to him, this approach will also help to enhance the capacity of Nigerian specialists, saying the approach was in line with the policy of promoting and utilising local content, even as he further urged the Federal Government to develop a decentralised strategy for COVID-19 by delegating and assigning some responsibility to state governments.
“For Nigeria to handle COVID-19 successfully, especially in view of Nigeria`s weak public health system and paucity of funds, I need to make two overriding points: the need to depart from international strategy by developing a Nigerian Strategy in managing COVID-19 and diversification of the economy in view of dwindling oil revenue.
“On the need for a Nigerian Strategy on COVID-19, I call on the Federal Government to interrogate available quinine medications and to engage Nigerian virologists and infectious diseases specialists, public health professionals and traditional and herbal medicine Institutions with a view to exploring local Nigerian solutions to COVID-19.
“This approach will also help to enhance the capacity of Nigerian Specialists. This is in line with the policy of promoting and utilizing local content. I also call on the Federal government to develop a decentralised strategy for COVID-19 by delegating and assigning some responsibility to State governments,” Agbakoba stated.
The former NBA president, while commending the Federal Government for initiating and implementing the lockdown policy measures so far, said he was concerned with the sustainability of the policy due to lack of social welfare system and scarce financial resources available in the country.
He, therefore, called on the government to lift the strict lockdown restrictions and allow some flexibility so as to allow some level of work and economic activities within some parameters, emphasising the urgent need to diversify the economy as part of the post COVID-19 economic strategy.
Besides, the former NBA president said Nigeria must also take issues relating to digital economy seriously, by ensuring implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy Document 2020-2030, contending that a well developed digital economy would not only create millions of jobs, improve citizen’s taxable income, and generate revenue for government, which directly increases government spending power.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING
Buhari, Presidential Task Force On Coronavirus Hold Meeting On Lockdown, Others
The Presidential Task Force on the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss the next step of the efforts to contain the pandemic. The lockdown imposed by the president on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun states lapsed on Sunday… Read full story
and then