PDP to Buhari: PTF incompetent, dissolve it now

The Peoples Democratic Party has called on the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to dissolve the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 over alleged incompetence.

In a statement signed on Wednesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the PTF has not demonstrated any capacity in handling the pandemic beyond the announcement of infections and associated fatalities.

The statement was titled, ‘COVID-19 Second Wave: PDP Laments FG’s Lack of Commitment…Demands Special Department To Tackle Pandemic’.

It partly read, “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.”

Buhari had established the PTF on March 9, 2020, to coordinate and oversee the government’s efforts to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The task force, which is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has the two ministers of health, as well as those of aviation, education, humanitarian affairs and disaster management, amongst others as members.

The PUNCH had reported that Buhari in December 2020 extended the mandate of the PTF till March 2021 but the opposition party said the ruling All Progressives Congress has failed to demonstrate efficiency in handling the second wave of the pandemic in Nigeria. Punch