Double Standard By NCDC Reason Behind Increasing Numbers of COVID-19 Cases – Falana
A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has asked the Federal Government to investigate the death of the former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari.
The Lagos based lawyer made the call in a statement titled: “Time to Stop Official Impunity and Hypocrisy in the Fight against COVID-19.” According to the senior lawyer, a probe into his death is inevitable since there is no private hospital accredited by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to treat COVID-19 patients.
The NCDC had directed anyone who tested positive to COVID-19 to report for treatment in isolation centers. But, the Kyari was allowed to be treated in a private hospital in Ikoyi, Lagos.
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With this, according to Falana, some influential people who tested positive to COVID-19 have been insisting on treatment in private hospitals without official authorization.
While noting that Kyari’s situation made the Lagos State Government to issue a statement clarifying that the private hospital was granted permission to treat COVID-19 patients, which is contrary to what the Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said some days ago.
“As at today, there is no private hospital that has been accredited to manage COVID-19 cases in Nigeria.
“There is none in Abuja that I know of. But, I think Lagos is looking at some accredited hospitals and there is one large hospital in Lagos that has called me that it wants to become a Coronavirus treatment centre,” the ministry was quoted by Falana.
The legal luminary, therefore, lamented the breach of the fundamental rule of COVID-19 guidelines on the treatment of persons with the virus.
On the crowd sighted at the burial of Kyari, Falan pointed out that the action was a clear violation of the NCDC guidelines.
“Apart from defying the directive on social distancing, some members of the crowd disregarded the wearing of face masks.
“And in a rather bizzaire manner, a man who had taken part in the burial ceremony pulled off his Person Protective Equipment(PPE) and left it beside a car in Maitama District, Abuja.
“Upon the conclusion of the burial, video clips have been trending in the social media showing the crowd and the serial breaches of the NCDC guidelines by highly placed public officers and other members of the public at the burial site.”
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He also lamented that with the social distancing rule still in effect, some governors have suspended lockdown for Juma’at prayers at a time that the authorities in Saudi Arabia have banned any gathering for prayers and pilgrimages.
He also stated that the pandemic has been on the ascendancy in the country due to the inconsistency and double standards of the NCDC and lack of coordination on the part of the Federal Government in addressing the health crisis.
