A COVID-19 Isolation Centre was on Tuesday inaugurated at the State House Clinic, Abuja. The facility named the State House Clinic Special Care Centre was conceived and completed within 10 weeks. The Deputy Director (Information), State House, Attah Esa, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘PTF: State House Clinic to get COVID-19 testing laboratory’.
The State House Clinic was established to cater for the President, Vice President, members of their immediate families, and workers in the Presidential Villa.
The statement quoted the chairman of the Presidential Task Force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, as saying at the inauguration that the COVID-19 testing laboratory will soon be established at the medical facility.
He said the present regime was using the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to change Nigeria’s health infrastructure.
He disclosed that provision was made in the 2021 budget for the establishment of at least one oxygen production plant in all the states of the federation, as well as a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit facility.
He said, ‘‘From just two molecular laboratories for the testing of COVID-19 in Nigeria, we now have over 100 molecular laboratories, public and private, across the 36 states of the federation.
“I want to commend the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Tijjani Umar, and the State House management under whose leadership this beautiful edifice is being inaugurated.
“I am confident that when the Minister of Health visits, whatever he decides, I can give you my word that we will put a laboratory for testing or a PCR facility in State House Clinic.
This is supposed to be our priority.
‘We will be blunt to them that if you don’t take the COVID-19 vaccine, you may not be able to go anywhere in the world, very soon. Even when you want to go and perform your spiritual obligation, that will be subjected to your COVID-19 status.’’
The PTF Chairman also dismissed conspiracy theories concerning the vaccines, saying ‘‘I don’t believe anyone will spend billions of dollars in manufacturing vaccines in order to kill us in Africa.’’
‘I will also speak to the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, who has the primary responsibility of resourcing, setting up, and accrediting laboratories because we need it here.”
On the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines to be procured for Nigeria, Mustapha said the Federal Government will continue to encourage Nigerians to get vaccinated when the time comes because ‘‘the vaccines are safe, effective and for our benefit.’’
He added, ‘‘We will appeal and explain to our people that if you do not take the vaccine, the danger of falling terribly sick and eventually dying is there.
