The House of Representatives has called on the federal and respective State governments to urgently put in place measures to effectively check the outbreak of cholera in
the country.
It also mandated the House Committees on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to oversee rigorous public orientation, enlightenment and education of the citizenry on the need to maintain personal hygiene at all times.
The House further mandated its Committee on Healthcare services to urgently liaise with relevant leaders in the health sector to investigate the root cause and solution and report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative action and intervention.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion brought under matter of urgent public importance by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsely Chinda at the plenary on Tuesday.
Moving the motion, Chinda expressed concern over the recent outbreak of cholera in Lagos State as well as several other parts of the country.
He noted that the latest outbreak of the disease in the country which has been reported and confirmed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) raises very serious public health concerns for the government and the citizenry alike.
Chinda added that the outbreak of the disease which was first widely reported in Lagos State has now been reported to have spread to other parts of the country, with several casualties and deaths reported.
He explained that health is of utmost importance and one of the key areas that the government ought to give priority attention to in order to enhance the well-being and overall welfare of the people.
Chinda said: “Aware also that according to the NCDC, while the latest outbreak of the disease continues have been reported in Lagos and 31 other States across the country, including Abia, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Nasarawa, Katsina and Zamfara States, amongst others.”
The minority leader decried that the public and personal health of teeming Nigerians are largely due to lack of access to clean water, poor sanitation, poor personal hygiene.
He also expressed concern about the rapid rate at which the disease has spread across Lagos and several other parts of the country within so short a time, especially with reports that the government has run out of vaccines to effectively tackle it, even as the death toll continues to escalate in those States.
Chinda expressed worry that there was an urgent need for quick action/intervention by the federal and respective State governments to curb the disease from further spread across the country.
He stressed that unless urgent and proactive steps/measures are immediately adopted, the disease would spread to several other places and possibly escalate than imagined, saying this would not be good for the health of the citizenry and the country at large.