Lockdown: FG Exempts Transportation of Fertilisers

• Lockdown: FG Exempts Transportation of Fertilisers

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 had exempted transportation of fertilisers within the 14-day lockdown in Ogun, Lagos and Federal Capital Territory.

The task force also recommended a 300-bed-space for isolation centres in states and local government areas.

Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who spoke during a briefing in Abuja on Thursday, said the implementation of the lockdown order in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja has started taking shape.

He, however, said, “In order not to disrupt the economy and particularly the supply of power to our homes, government has already exempted the essential staff of companies in the upstream oil and gas sector from the restrictions and exempted further the movement of fertiliser and related items so that we can have our agricultural economy working.

“This is all in order to facilitate availability of gas to fire the turbines that generate power for the supply in our homes and to ensure that our farmers have fertilisers and other necessary components as the farming season is about to begin.”

He explained that it was important for states to put in place measures to contain the virus and train personnel whether they have confirmed cases or not.

He stated that training of personnel in the management of the facilities was also a critical factor to the success of government’s strategy, adding that the PTF “shall intensify consultations with the governors and other state agencies to achieve the much-needed collaboration.”

Mustapha said, “In furtherance of this consultation, we are requesting that the sub-national governments should provide at least a 300-bed facility, either a hotel or other facilities that are available to them with options and graded in different categories so that they provide a place where they can provide basic nursing and other required procedures before patients are moved into the isolation centres, the teaching hospitals or any other health facilities.”