By Cyril Okonkwo, Abuja
The National Economic Council, NEC has urged states to enforce the Covid-19 protocols to check the spread of the corona virus as the second wave of the disease hits countries of the world.
The NEC, at its virtual meeting on Thursday presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said that a lockdown might be the last resort if Nigerians fail to observe non-pharmaceutical protocols to contain the virus.
Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, who briefed the media after the meeting, said the Council advised states to enforce the observance of the Covid-19 protocols.
“Otherwise, we have to resort to the last aspect. Of course, everybody knows: going back to lock down again, which is not anybody’s doing,.
“But then let’s all go back and observe most of the protocols that we have to curtail the further spread of COVID-19,” Lalong said.
He said that the NEC resolved that proper measures should be taken to limit the effect of the virus in the second wave “otherwise we are going to move into a situation where it will be very uncontrollable.”
He said that the meeting deliberated on the upsurge of the Covid-19 and the manner the second wave is coming and the devastating effect on the economy especially in respect to states.
“And for that, states were advised to go back and emphasis the implementation or the enforcement of the some of the protocols that we have earlier started in the first phase.
“For instance, sanitation, closing and then, restrictions on the number of people in gatherings and so on,” Governor Lalong said.
Kankara boys abduction
Lalong said that the NEC meeting expressed concern over the abduction of students at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
He said the Council “commiserated with the president, the governor and people of Kastina State over the kidnap of the school children and also prayed that they be released and by God Almighty, safely back to their parents.”
Speaking further on the abduction of the boys, Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, said that the “NEC expressed outrage on the kidnapping of the boys in their school premises and utterly condemned the brazen act of the abductors as not only criminal and lawless but as a deliberate attempt to sow seeds of fear into people.
“The members, while supporting immediate steps already taken by the Nigerian government and state governments to rescue the boys called for more effective collaboration between security agencies and communities to ensure that such despicable act does not repeat itself anywhere in the country.”
AbdulRazak also gave updates on Nigeria’s account as presented to the NEC meeting by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
According to him, as at 17th December, 2020, the amount in the Excess Crude Account was $72, 410, 574. 808; Stabilization Account had N26, 423, 355, 427.91, while the Development of Natural Resources Account had N156, 690, 002, 234. 58.
He said that there was no update on budget support loan facilities as deductions had been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Confidence Okwuchi
