By Chinwendu Agoha (Governance Reporter)
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has celebrated Nigeria's ranking as the fourth-best in the world in the management and containment of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The group said the World Health Organisation (WHO's) acclaim and ranking of Nigeria as having come tops among the ten countries that we're able to handle the multi-faceted negative impacts of the pandemic did not come to it as a surprise, considering that President Muhammadu Buhari had at the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, taken up the gauntlet and showed quality leadership.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO noted that as a mark of President Buhari’s determination to safeguard the lives of Nigerians and residents alike during the pandemic, "he set up a standing committee-Presidential Task Force on COVID-19-chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, who along with other cabinet members and other stakeholders embarked on a daily appraisal and briefing of the populace about the measures being put in place to contain the pandemic.
"This team worked tirelessly with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with international agencies towards ensuring that the negative effects of the disease were reduced to the barest minimum, hence Nigeria recorded one of the lowest infection and fatality figures in the world.
"We also note that President Muhammadu Buhari did not spare any resource in ensuring that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 carried out its responsibilities without let or hindrance. It is also on record that the Federal Government committed huge amounts of money towards procuring vaccines from across the globe for the benefit of Nigerians.
"Therefore we see it as a welcome development that the WHO ranked Nigeria as the fourth-best in the response to COVID-19 in the world".
The group also recalled that the World Health Organisation had on many occasions commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for its proactive response and successful completion of the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out with the vaccination of the frontline workers and other priority groups at high risk of COVID-19. NNL.
