The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has been commended for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the nation’s capital. The new Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, gave the commendation when he led a delegation of officials of the organization on a courtesy visit to the FCTA.
Speaking on the effectiveness of the actions of the FCTA in the fight against the virus, Mulombo said he was impressed by the processes laid down by the FCTA right from the airport and his undergoing of quarantine for 14 days as applied globally. He said, “When I arrived on the 19th of June, I was surprised by the organization I saw at the airport, the way I was received, the way I went through all the processes and where I stayed in quarantine for 14 days, it was so perfect. It was really something that was properly done.”
The WHO Representative also called for continued vigilance from the populace until a vaccine is developed. “COVID-19 is here to stay with us for some time until we find an effective vaccine. But until then, Honourable Minister, you need to remain vigilant. The only tool here is non-pharmaceutical intervention. I’m happy to see that we are wearing face masks. It’s very important that we continue to adhere to those principles of social distancing because the other tools are being experimented. So, we need to make sure that what we are seeing, the downward decline in cases actually translates the truth of what is going on in the communities,” Mulombo said.
He however called for partnership between WHO and the FCTA for the effective control of the disease and its effects health wise and economically. He also praised the FCTA for its role in the eradication of polio in Nigeria which he said has paved the way for the entire African continent being certified as polio free and pledged the support of the WHO to the FCTA in its efforts at ensuring that as many residents as possible are enrolled in the FCT Health Insurance Scheme.
Welcoming Mulombo to his office, FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, said that the FCTA has always enjoyed a very close working relationship with the World Health Organisation and wished the country representative a successful tenure in Nigeria. The Minister said whatever successes the FCTA has achieved was due to the collaborative efforts with the WHO while he called WHO to assist in the areas of capacity building to make sure that primary healthcare centers are self-sustaining with improved funding and better legislation.
