…Threatens to revoke passports, visas of culprits
The Presidential Task Force on Control of COVID-19 Tuesday raised alarm over failure of some Nigerians who arrived from overseas to present themselves for the in-country Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test which they paid before arrival.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chairman of the Presidential Task Force, Mr Boss Mustapha, who raised the alarm at a briefing in Abuja, said only one out of three Nigerians who arrived from overseas have complied with the testing requirements.
He said the federal government has resolved to revoke passports and visas of travellers that fail to undergo the mandatory COVID-19 PCR test.
“The PTF is highlighting these issues repeatedly because we remain at risk of importation, having opened our airspace and massive spread as a result of the protests. The next week or two remain critical.
“The PTF has noted with sadness the failure of Nigerians who arrived from abroad to present themselves for the in-country PCR test which they signed up to and paid before arrival. Statistics emerging from our records show that only one out of three passengers have shown up for the in-country test.
“As you may recall, the PTF announced the guidelines on the reopening of the airspace and the obligations of arriving passengers. The PTF similarly announced sanctions as a consequence of any infraction.
“Having observed serious non-compliance to the level of 65 percent, the need has arisen to activate the sanctions which includes the suspension of the passports of such defaulting individuals for a period of six months minimum. The National Coordinator will elaborate further on this,” he said.
The SGF said as part of the strategies of the Presidential Task Force to deepen community engagement, the PTF addressed an emergency session of the National Executive Committee of the National Council of Traditional Rulers on Tuesday.
“The contributions of our traditional rulers to the successes so far recorded in the National Response can not be overemphasized. Accordingly, I acknowledged and thanked all our traditional rulers for their support and urged them to continue to do more especially in the areas of risk communication and community engagement. Adherence to the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions measures and the need for people to come out for testing were emphasized.
“I wish to inform you that the PTF has revised its meeting and briefing frequency to once a week, to allow members carry out other functions and activities. This does not preclude the need to call for emergency meetings and briefings when the need arises. With effect from Thursday, 5th November, 2020 therefore, the national briefing will only hold once, weekly,” he said.
