PDP Reacts To Buhari's Appointment As ECOWAS COVID-19 Champion

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to use his appointment as the COVID-19 Response Champion by the Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS, to step up actions and measures against spread of the pandemic in Nigeria.

AllNews recalls that the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had announced days ago that Presidents of West African countries, under the aegis of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government have appointed Buhari as Champion of their COVID-19 response.

Reacting in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday in Abuja, PDP advised Buhari to see the appointment as a wake-up call for more intensive efforts through his leadership role in the fight against the pandemic in Nigeria, on which pedestal he could champion a response in the sub-region.

It advised the President to immediately re-engineer the national approach and bring in known experts and competent hands in various relevant fields to help develop and implement an urgent national strategy to check the spread of the pandemic in the country and the sub-region.

Ologbondiyan also advised Buhari to look beyond the officials of his administration to implement the desired national proactive response, including provision of drugs, equipment and transparent distribution of palliatives.

“Our nation needs a response system that can galvanize multilateral interventions to contain and defeat the deadly virus as well as action a quick economic stimulation after the pandemic,” he said.

The PDP spokesman urged Buhari to stand up to the challenge, be more visible and personally involved in the front, and reiterated his earlier call on the president to constitute the eminent Nigerian group to manage COVID-19 donations so as to eliminate corruption and political bottlenecks.

“Furthermore, the PDP calls on Mr. President to channel all government palliatives to states for implementation through our local governments, traditional and faith-based institutions.

“This should be done while taking urgent steps to slash the price of fuel, reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT), recover alleged stolen funds and direct such as panacea to Nigerians," the main opposition party said.