By Victor Oluwasegun and Tony Akowe, Abuja

The National Assembly is to get a testing/Sample Collection Centre for Coronavirus within the next one week,  if all aspects of the planning go well, The Nation has learnt.

Earmarked for this project is a grey bungalow behind the White House which used to house Malima and other restaurants in the immediate past.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Covid-19 was said to have mooted the idea of a testing centre in the National Assembly to the Director-General of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who thought it was a good idea, a source said.

The source in the House of Representatives, who craved anonymity, said:  “The Chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on Covid-19, Rep. Haruna Mshelia, initiated the process of establishing a COVID -19 sample collation site in the National Assembly.

“The initiative was welcomed by the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu.”

Ihekweazu also said the development is a move in the right direction as steps are being taken to drastically increase the number of testing centres across the country as the covid 19 pandemic shows little sign of abating

Recall that the NCDC DG had just a few weeks ago called for more testing as the most effective strategy to controlling the outbreak even as he said the country will scale up testing capacity.

According to Ihekweazu, testing is critical to the national response,” adding, “we will continue to scale up capacity.”

The source said this was an issue discussed recently when the ad Hoc committee on COVID-19 visited the NCDC on an oversight visit.

The Nation learnt that the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Olatunde Ojo, as well as chairmen of the relevant committees in both chambers of the parliament are being carried along.

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The bureaucracy of the National Assembly has identified and earmarked the grey bungalow behind the White House as a suitable place within the complex. The building is beside the rear car park.

When our reporters contacted the spokesman for the National Assembly, Mr. Rawlings Agada, on the issue, he said though he would not be able to confirm because he has been on and off for a while, it would not be out of place to have a testing centre in the National Assembly.

His words: “I can’t authoritatively confirm that now. I’ve been in and off because of this Covid stuff and I don’t have that information at hand to confirm. It is not impossible because of the large population that comes here and also the fact that the two chambers are a critical part of society given its function and responsibility and cannot stay off the complex.

“I cannot confirm now. I don’t see anything wrong in having a testing centre in the National Assembly anyway, but as soon as I have confirmation, I will let you know,” he said.

However, calls to the spokesman of the House Representatives. Benjamin Kalu, did not go through as his phone line was switched off.