Intensify screening of passengers at the nation’s airports and seaports - Senate

The Federal Ministry of Health is to be worked upon to intensify screening of passengers at the nation’s airports and seaports.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday, gave this charge while indicting the health ministry for not putting serious measures in place to prevent the outbreak of Coronavirus in Nigeria.

Lawan urged the Senate Committee on Primary Health Care to further liaise with the Ministry following a point of order by the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Ajayi Boroffice.

Boroffice had drawn the attention of the Senate to the failure of health personnel at the airports and seaports to thoroughly screen passengers coming into the country.

He explained that he was subjected to screening for Coronavirus on arrival at a South African airport recently.

He said the screening at the South African airport usually takes up to 30 minutes before passengers would be allowed to disembark the aircraft.

He said the situation was different on his arrival at the Nigerian airport when the health officials in the nation’s airports merely issued a form for passengers to indicate if they were sick or not.

He said, “There is no form of any screening of passengers for Coronavirus by Nigerian officials at the airport.

“It is worrisome, situations where travelers coming into the country were not dully screened for the dreaded virus.”

Boroffice said he brought the attention of the Senate to his experience for the Federal Ministry of Health and other concerned agencies to take note.

Lawan commended Boroffice for raising the issue.

He said every country in the world was making efforts to ensure that the virus did not cross their borders.

He said although the Federal Ministry of Health and other associated agencies were doing their best, their best was not good enough.

“We must take all the necessary measures at our ports, airports, seaports, to protect our people.

“If anybody is coming from China, he or she should be quarantined not even isolation for two weeks or four weeks, we have to protect the lives of Nigerians,” he added.