From Moses Emorinken, Abuja
There was growing anxiety on Wednesday over Health Minister Dr. Osagie Ehanire.
This followed the minister’s failure to hold the routine daily conference on Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for two consecutive days.
He was also missing on the Federal Government team that received some tool kits for the management and treatment of COVID-19 at the Abuja Airport on Wednesday
The kits were donated to African countries through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by the Jack Ma Foundation. They were brought into the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos on Tuesday aboard Ethiopian Airlines Freighter ET-AVN from where a NAF plane ferried them to Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Abdullahi Mashi, was at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to receive the consignments on behalf of the Federal Government.
There were speculations that the minister might have gone into self-isolation.
An aide said the minister was busy attending a meeting. He, however, declined to give further information on whether the minister was in self-isolation or not.
On Tuesday, reporters waited for hours, only to be told that the briefing had been postponed because the minister was held up at the meeting of the Presidential Task Force on the Control of Coronavirus.
Also, on Wednesday, no updates were given on COVID-19. No briefing was done.
Read Also: COVID-19: Governors in self-isolation as ministers undergo test
Dr. Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, Permanent Secretary Mashi and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director-General Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, have been holding daily news conference since Nigeria confirmed the first case.
Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed also attended the briefing.
But the NCDC has been consistent in giving updates on the COVID-19 across the country via its micro-website and social media handles.
The Centre debunked false information that it has approved the use of chloroquine and its derivatives for the management of coronavirus disease.
In its twitter handle, the NCDC said: “Please remember that the use of chloroquine and its derivatives for the management of coronavirus disease has NOT been validated and approved. Self-medication can cause harm and lead to death. Do not misuse drugs”.
Also, concerning a tweet by an account – Asthma Foundation NG (@asthmaNG), that there are over 34 cases of the coronavirus at Julius Berger Medical Services in Abuja, and that they have been calling the NCDC without getting any response, the NCDC said: “We have reached out to Julius Berger Clinic in Life Camp Abuja and they have no case as stated in this tweet. They also confirmed that they have access to us, and will inform us accordingly if there is a suspected case”.
As at Wednesday night, the NCDC said there were seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria: three in Lagos, two in FCT, one each in Rivers and Osun states.
It said: “Both cases are returning travellers to Nigeria in the last seven days. As at 07:00 am, 25th March, there are 46 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Two have been discharged with one death.”
Lagos has 32; FCT 10; Ogun (three); Ekiti, Oyo, Edo, Bauchi, Rivers and Osun states have one each, Ebonyi State government last night shut its borders.
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