The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has said that deaths, which were reported as occurring from strange illnesses in Enugu and other states, were caused by yellow fever.
He made the declaration while answering fielding questions from State House correspondents after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja. on Wednesday.
Enugu State had reported an outbreak of an unknown disease in two communities including Ette Uno and Umuopu in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state as well as in Nsukka, Isi-Uzo.
Delta State also recently reported that no fewer than 22 deaths have been recorded in Ika North East Local Government Area of the state due to the outbreak of the disease.
Speaking on the matter the Health Minister stated: “Yes, there was an outbreak that started in Delta and was found in Enugu and then, two other states making it a total of four states.
“The analysis we have done so far shows it is yellow fever. So, the response has been going on from the National Centre for Disease (NCDC), vaccination is going on in all these areas.
“Few days ago, there was also a report from a member of the National Assembly saying that in his constituency there is unexplained illnesses and deaths and that alarm also immediately triggered a response. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has been directed to go and carry out an investigation.
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“As we speak they have to collect samples, do tests and some laboratory investigations before we are sure exactly what it is and what the cause is. So, the response is going on automatically and we shall get the result very soon.”
Meanwhile, Ehanire and his counterpart in the Ministry of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, briefed FEC on their interface with stakeholders in their respective states as regards #EndSARS protests.
Their interface with key stakeholders in their states followed a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari for ministers to return to their places in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.
The Health Minister said he met with stakeholders in Edo and Delta states over the protests and reported on incidences that occurred to the Federal Executive Council meeting.
On his part, Adamu said no incident was recorded in his home State, Jigawa and Sokoto states and commended the youths for adhering to President Buhari’s appeal.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in his remark, said his Ministry updated Council on the progress in the various Federal Secretariats in Gombe, Benue and Ekiti states among others, as well as efforts in the national housing programme, and government’s intervention in the sector.
Fashola spoke on the various interventions the Federal Government has made in the housing sector to make the process of owning houses easy for citizens.
While noting that he presented over a 280-page report to the council on the ministry’s interventions, he said various housing projects are ongoing in different parts of the country with 186 housing units already completed, while 2,300 others are still under construction.
The minister who also said the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) had since inception delivered 45,000 housing units in 81 states across the country, added that the agency delivers no fewer than 1,000 housing units every year.
The minister who said the ministry had also made the process of obtaining a certificate of occupancy (cofo) easier for those who prefer to build their own houses, disclosed that a total of 3,290 C of Os have been given out in recent times.