Abakaliki, Ibadan, Two Others To Have Testing Labs – NGF

The clamour for more testing centres may become a reality following the agreement between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The Chairman, NGF, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State who made this known recently from isolation said for a start, Abakaliki (Ebonyi State), Ibadan, in Oyo State, Kaduna, in Kaduna State and Maiduguri, in Borno State would soon have testing centres. He had gone into self-isolation and eventually tested negative.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, had hinted that much at the briefing session of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 when he said plans were on the pipe line to establish some more testing centres though he appealed to Nigerians not to press too much for more centres but better testing in existing six centres.
Speaking on Ibim Semenitari’s facebook interview series, Fayemi agreed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised nation to do more of testing, but admitted that the level in Nigeria was not enough.
He said: “We as governors do not believe that the level of testing going on at the moment is enough. There are only six testing centres so far in Nigeria. We have pushed the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and they have agreed to set up four more to be located in Abakaliki, Ibadan, Maiduguri, and Kaduna, bringing it to 10. They have agreed to also use the tuberculosis laboratory (TB) centres which are in every state. We still asked for more labs and they have also agreed to use some private labs that are of very high standards just to ramp it up.
”The truth is that they have tested only about 2000 persons so far. It took three days for me to get my own result (negative). Imagine the anxiety in those who had contact with me, while waiting.
”The need for more labs is not just because of COVID-19, but about other diseases and epidemics. Also, there are other aspects such as financial pandemics. Note that oil is not selling, etc. So, this is the time to forget oil, go to other areas such as agriculture, ICT, education, innovation, etc.”