* Disallow exportation of face masks, lawmakers tell Customs
The Senate has resolved
to invite the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Emmanuel Ohanire, to brief the lawmakers
about the preparedness of his ministry to stem a possible outbreak of the
Coronavirus in Nigeria.
Also, the Senate charged the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) to
introduce measures to stop the exportation of surgical face-masks from Nigeria
to Asia and other countries affected by the deadly Coronavirus.
The upper chamber also urged the Police, Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigerian Immigration Service
and other relevant government agencies to strengthen health regulatory services
at all entry ports across the country, to check the outbreak of the virus in
Nigeria.
These formed part of resolutions adopted following
consideration of a motion sponsored by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP – Anambra
South) on Thursday.
Presenting his motion, Ubah said: “Over the last three weeks,
face-masks have become the most sought after commodity in Nigeria with over 100
million face-masks being unpatriotically exported to Asia using the Murtala
Mohammed Airport and Port Harcourt International Airport.”
The lawmaker disclosed that “the exportation of these
face-masks have led to a surge in the market prices.”
“As at 5th of November, 2019, stores that usually sell 1
piece of face-mask for N10 now sell it for N80, while a pack consisting of 50
pieces has now inflated from N500 to N3,000; with a carton consisting of 40
packs also inflated from N20,000 to N120,000.
“It has now become a booming trade for illicit traders aided
by airport officials in Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos and Port
Harcourt International Airport to unpatriotically export face-masks to China,
India and other affected countries,” Ubah lamented.
He warned that unless something is done, Nigeria may soon be
facing shortage of protective surgical face-masks, especially against the
backdrop that “Nigeria is on the brink of an imminent outbreak given our
massive population and frequency to travel.”
The lawmaker further disclosed that “Chinese companies have
sent their agents to scout for medical face-masks in Nigeria and other African
countries”, adding that “India and other countries are mass producing the
face-masks in order to curb this deadly trend.”
He noted with concern that the World Health Organization has
recorded 565 deaths with 28,276 cases of infected persons.
“If proactive measures are not taken to checkmate borders, an
imminent outbreak might occur in the same manner which an infected carrier
immigrant from Liberia transferred Ebola disease to Nigeria in 2014,” Ubah
warned.
Consequently, the Senate urged the Nigerian Customs Service
to impose strict penalties and heavy fines on anybody trying to export surgical
face-masks within the period of the Coronavirus outbreak.
The upper chamber also mandated the Health Ministry and other
relevant agencies to launch a sensitization and awareness campaign in preventing
an outbreak of the virus in Nigeria.