Peoples Democratic Party says the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration should dissolve the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for being incompetent.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement on Wednesday that the PTF, which was inaugurated in March 2020, had yet to demonstrate any capacity in handling the pandemic beyond the announcement of infections and associated fatalities.
According to the titled, ‘COVID-19 Second Wave: PDP Laments FG’s Lack of Commitment…Demands Special Department To Tackle Pandemic,’ “More distressing is that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has not demonstrated any capacity beyond mere announcement of figures of infected persons, deaths, recoveries, discharges and issues of local protocols rather than engaging in epidemiology, researches and production of equipment, drugs, therapeutics and other medical palliatives that can help stave off the impact of the global pandemic.
“On account of this, the PDP restates our demands for the dissolution of the PTF and in its place allow a convergence of experts in a special department under the purview of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control to professionally tackle the pandemic.”
President Buhari had established the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on March 9, 2020, to coordinate and oversee government’s efforts to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
The PTF which is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has ministers of health, aviation, education, humanitarian affairs and disaster management, amongst others, as members.