A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN on Monday urged the Federal Government to back local efforts to find the cure for the coronavirus.
Agbakoba said the virus had “exposed” our fragile health system and he advised the government to explore available quinine medications in the COVID-19 fight.
According to him, the government needed to develop a Nigerian strategy in managing the pandemic and economic diversification because of dwindling oil revenue.
Agbakoba made the suggestions in a statement ‘COVID-19 in Nigeria: Time to think globally and act locally’.
“On the need for a Nigerian strategy on COVID-19, I call on the federal government to interrogate available quinine medications and to engage Nigerian virologists and infectious diseases specialists, public health professionals and traditional & herbal medicine Institutions with a view to exploring local Nigerian solutions to COVID-19,” the development lawyer said.
According to him, this approach, which is in line with the local content policy, will also help to enhance Nigerian specialists’ capacity.
President Muhammadu Buhari on April 13 renewed a two-week stay-at-home order on Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), saying the extension was the right thing to do to contain the pandemic.
But Agbakoba reasoned that total lockdown may no longer be sustainable, adding that a relaxation was necessary.
He said: “While commending the federal government for the COVID-19 measures taken so far, I am concerned with the sustainability of the lockdown policy in view of lack of social welfare system and scarce financial resources.
“I therefore call on the government to lift the strict lockdown restrictions and allow some flexibility so as to allow some level of work and economic activities within some parameters.”
As for economic diversification, Agbakoba harped on the “need to strengthen the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
“The National Trade and Transportation policies need to be adopted, and so is the need for the enactment of trade remedy legislation.
“Nigeria also must take issues relating to digital economy seriously. A well developed digital economy will not only create millions of jobs, improve citizens` taxable income, and generate revenue for government, which directly increases government spending power.
“The federal government must ensure the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy Document 2020-2030.”
