President Buhari Releases Aircraft For Emergency Operations

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the prompt release of N5bn special intervention requested by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to equip and expand their facilities and laboratories.

Buhari, in a statement yesterday by his media aide, Garba Shehu, also announced the approval of the sum of N10bn released within two days after the request by the government of Lagos State for financial support to combat and contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Lagos and Nigeria.

Buhari, who approved the NCDC’s request for an aircraft from the Presidential Air Fleet for emergency situations, had authorized the evacuation of three critical members of the NCDC team who were stuck in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo where they went for a training organsied by the World Health Organisation.

These measures are in addition to the ones approved and announced by the Presidential Task Force, PTF including the closure of land borders to human traffic for four weeks; the conversion of all Hajj transit camps to be utilized as COVID-19 isolation centers; the directive that all non-essential government employees to work from home and for a daily briefing of the nation through the PTF.

Other approved measures already put into place include the ban of flights from and into the country, suspension of the Federal Executive Council and National Council of State meetings and a directive for engagements, at the highest levels between the Federal Government and the state governments