Oct. 8, 2021

Members of the Diplomatic Community in the country have scored Lagos State Government high on its COVID-19 response and management efforts, which have seen the State overcome three successive waves of the global pandemic.

Speaking after a meeting with team leads of the Lagos State COVID-19 Incident Command Structure and the Emergency Operation Centre, as well as a tour of the Infectious Disease Hospital and Biosecurity facility, Yaba, members of the Diplomatic communities agreed that Lagos has done a lot to mitigate the scourge of the infection while pledging to continue to offer support to the COVID-19 Lagos response directly and indirectly.

In her remarks, the Consul-General of France in Nigeria, Laurence Monmayrant, expressed delight about the biosecurity facilities put in place at IDH by the State Government to prosecute the war against the global pandemic.

She harped on the need to ensure that more citizens are vaccinated as a way to mitigate the new wave of the pandemic.

Speaking in the same vein, the Consulate-General of Netherlands, Michel Deelen, said the biosecurity facilities at IDH are impressive noting, however, that non-pharmaceutical interventions of physical distancing, hand hygiene and facemask use should be encouraged and adhered to in order to curb a possible high rate of positive case management at the biosecurity facility.

On the need for more support, the Netherlands diplomat noted that his country is supporting the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative, which is championing the availability of COVID vaccine to many countries in Africa including Nigeria.

Also speaking, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, said he was impressed with the huge investment made in the State biosecurity facility, adding that the British Government would continue to support the Lagos State Government in its response efforts against the COVID pandemic.

Earlier in his presentation, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, gave an overview and profile of the COVID pandemic in Lagos State and highlighted the State’s response and future plans.

He noted that Lagos State has yet again successfully flattened the curve of COVID infection, stressing that the State is out of the third wave of the pandemic earlier than envisaged.

While noting that various waves of the infection in Lagos were mostly from importation, the Commissioner stated that the government is doing all it can to evolve an ingenious way of implementing the COVID protocols whilst also sanctioning defaulters.

Other members of the Diplomatic Community delegation present were the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada, Teshome Nkrumah; Political/Economic Section Chief, United States Consulate-General in Lagos-Nigeria, Brandon Hudspeth; Acting Head of Mission, Consulate-General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Lagos, Dr. Bernd von Münchow-Pohl and Deputy Head of Mission, British High Commission, Mr. Peter Thomas amongst others.

Also present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye; Director Epidemiology Biosecurity and Global Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Ismail Abdul-Salam; Medical Director, Infectious Disease Hospital, Dr. Abimbola Bowale; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih; Consultants to the Lagos State Ministry of Health on Biobank, Prof. Sunday Omilabu; Biosecurity expert, Dr. Babatunde Saka and the Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Dr. Tunde Ajayi.