The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the Federal and State governments to urgently put in place measures to effectively check the outbreak of cholera in the country.
The House also mandated it’s Committees on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to make public orientation, enlightenment and education of citizens on the need to maintain personal hygiene at all times.
The House in its resolutions further mandated the House Committee on Healthcare services to urgently liaise with relevant stockholders in the health sector to investigate the root cause of the outbreak.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion brought under matter of urgent public importance during plenary in Abuja.
The motion which was titled ” Urgent need to check the outbreak of cholera in Lagos and other parts of the country” was moved by the Minority leader of House, Hon Kingsley Chinda.
Moving the motion, Chinda Noted that with very serious concern the recent outbreak of cholera in Lagos State as well as several other parts of the country, also 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 concern for the government and the citizenry alike.
He explained that the outbreak of the disease which was first widely reported in Lagos State is now reported to have spread to other parts of the country, with several casualties and deaths reported.
According to him, 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.
He said “the provision of 8.17(3)(c} of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN), 1999 (as amended) that “the State shall direct its policies towards ensuring that the health safe, and welfare of all persons are safe and not endangered or abused”.
“The provisions of 8.17(3)(d) of the CFRN which states that “the State shall direct its policies towards ensuring that there are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons”.
“According to the NCDC, while the latest outbreak of the disease continues, it has 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.
“Concerned about the public and personal health of teeming Nigerians largely due to lack of access to clean water, poor sanitation, poor personal hygiene and more.
“Also concerned about the rapid rate at which the disease has spread across Lagos and several other parts of the country within a short time, especially against the backdrop of 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 worries that there is an urgent need for quick action/intervention by the Federal and State governments to curb the disease from further spread across the country.
“Unless urgent and proactive steps/measures are immediately adopted, the disease would spread to several other places and Possibly escalate than imagined and this would not be good for the health of the citizenry and the country at large.
The committee is therefore expected to report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative action, intervention.
