The House of Representatives on Tuesday inaugurated the 18 man ad-hoc Committee on Coronavirus pandemic.
The committee has the task of working in tandem with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and by extension, the entire relevant machinery of the federal government to find a solution to the challenges posed by the epidemic.
Performing the ritual at the national assembly complex, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila charged the members to give utmost attention to the welfare of frontline workers.
He said: “The 18 man Committee we have come to inaugurate reflects the intention of the House of Representative to engage the executive arm of government in a partnership that serves the best interests of the Nigerian people as we join hands to confront and conquer the most severe challenge of our lives.
“Mr. Chairman, honourable members of the Committee, you have a responsibility to ensure the operations of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19, are conducted with a view to international best practice. Your role is to add value by serving as a link between the task force and the National Assembly, and with the Nigerian people whose interests we all serve, and to whom we are all answerable.
“It is also your responsibility to ensure that those of our citizens; doctors, nurses, and all the health workers on the frontlines of the fight against Covid-19 in Nigeria receive the full protection they deserve, and the benefits they have so honourably earned.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Hon. Haruna Mshelia, from Borno state, commended the speaker for the initiative, pledging the unalloyed commitment of the members to deliver on their mandate.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the inauguration, Mshelia said that his committee’s term of reference also touches on the disbursement of palliatives among other issues in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
