*Says Nigeria waits as 21 nations take proactive measures
By Dickson Omobola
Renowned virologist, Professor Oyewale Tomori, says Nigeria isn’t taking action to curtail the entry of infected travellers amid raging Covid-19 in China.
“Some countries have even gone to the point of testing the wastewater that arrives with the plane. I guess in our own country, all the wastewater on the tarmac will be thrown into the bush by the side of the airport”, the former Vice Chancellor of Redeemer’s University said.
He noted that 21 countries across the world were already taking measures, saying Nigeria is probably not doing anything because we are indebted to China and, as a result, won’t want to make them angry.
Asked what Nigeria should be doing now because “we’ve seen the pictures everywhere, mass burials in China” during a program on Arise News, Tomori said: “First thing we should be doing is giving current data about what is happening. I heard you read what Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, said when they gave the figure for the first of January. The world is giving you the figure of yesterday, we are giving the figure of the last week in 2022. Give us the current data because we don’t know.
“Second, 21 countries have already taken some form of action against travellers coming in from China.
“In those countries, you must have your negative test before you come, you must wear your mask if you are inside the plane when you are coming, and the crew that is coming in must be fully vaccinated. They are testing people even after a negative, they are testing people on arrival.
“People are on the alert, they are taking action. I heard the Ministry of Health say they will do this and that, when is it going to come into operation? I think we will have to wait for somebody. As I mentioned, 21 countries are taking measures. Of the 21 countries, only one country in Africa has taken any action and, of course, maybe we are worried about the repercussions with China because we are indebted to them and we do not want to go against them.
“These are some of the issues I think we need to look at. Our health is more important. Nigeria must be proactive on these issues. I have listed some of the things countries are doing, we must put them in place.
“Not only that, sequence the positive that you get and make sure you understand what it is, and all the people coming into the country, monitor those who are negative. Those are the things we should be doing now”.
* Full interview to be published next week
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