… 300 volunteers enlisted
Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says it has commenced the decontamination of the Federal Capital Territory to curtail spread of the coronavirus amid the 14-day lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking during a live briefing of the taskforce in Abuja on Thursday, Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, also urged returned personnel from the ministry to be on the alert as they might be mobilised to increase manpower.
Abubakar noted that 300 additional volunteers were being mobilised but did not say how many were enlisted initially.
The minister said, “On the personnel side, we are currently assembling about 300 additional community volunteers that can be trained quickly in terms of advocacy at the grassroots, counselling, and advice as appropriate, especially with regard to hygiene and sanitation.
“Also, we have alerted some of our retired personnel to be in the lookout. If there is need, just as the minister of health is doing, we will also reach out to them and see who we can get to come in and help with respect to this.”
He stated that the decontamination exercise within the FCT started on Wednesday in Abuja, including the Federal Secretariat Phase I and II, Head of Service, Office to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Other areas said to have been disinfected were the ministries of Youth and Sports Development, Environment, Works and Housing, Foreign Affairs, and Science and Technology; the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and the Ecological Fund Office.
Abubakar added, “We have acquired additional trucks. This time, we have expanded out collaboration with the police. I spoke with the Inspector General this afternoon and he graciously released 10 specialised trucks that we can use for the fumigation.
“Another agency has also released one truck, and we intend to look at any other agency, military and paramilitary, that has some of these trucks that we can acquire which will make the disinfection, fumigation and decontamination faster.”