As the ongoing lockdown of public spaces continues in Nigeria against the spread of deadly Coronavirus, will NASS join the fray today by shutting itself down. Taiye Odewale examines.
From complex lockdown to plenary shutdown?
When both chambers of the National Assembly took some public spaces lockdown measures last week Thursday against any possible spread of Coronavirus , Abuja had not recorded a single index case of any of her residents testing positive to the virus.
But between Saturday and Sunday, four index cases of such were recorded, which may make the National legislators to review their strategies of curtailing outbreak of the virus in the National Assembly.
A step in this direction was even almost taken last week Thursday at the Senate wing during closed door session as revealed by the Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Godiya Akwashiki ( APC Nasarawa North).
Akwashiki, who made the disclosure during the weekly media briefing said: “Some Senators wanted the National Assembly to be shut down today ( last week Thursday) , but at the end of the discussion, the Senate President said we cannot just wake up and just shut down the complex.
“He explained to them that we all came through election if we are closing down the National Assembly, there are ways to do it, which made them to reason along with others that there was no need for such total lockdown now “.
He added that the President of the Senate at the closed door session, urged all senators who have just returned from foreign trips, particularly members of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), who have just returned from international oil conference held in London, to go for testing on the virus before Tuesday plenary.
“The Senate President stressed that the test was necessary for the affected Senators because as leaders we should show example to others “, he said.
However with reported index cases of the virus in Abuja over the weekend and additional ones in Lagos, both Chambers may review their measures from total banning of visitors to the National Assembly or complete lockdown of the entire complex.
Some of the lawmakers spoken to on possibility or otherwise of such action said , both Chambers would have to assess the situation at closed door session today before deciding on which of the steps to be taken.
Closure to send wrong signals
But before now, the Director General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said total lockdown of the National Assembly over Coronavirus is not necessary.
Ihekweazu, who made the declaration while responding to a question on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme penultimate week, said shutting down the National Assembly could cause panic and send the wrong signals to Nigerians.
“I have all the respect for the honourable members. They represent Nigerians, they express the anxieties of Nigerians across the country but I think the time has not come to suspend plenary.
“If they respond by suspending sessions everyone else will begin to think ‘should I close my business?’,‘should I close my office?’, ‘should I close my school? It is disproportionate at this time. I think what the honourable members should do is to support the work we are doing; the technical work that the experts are doing. Give us your support; give us a sustainable budget so that we can develop the expertise.
“Ask us for advice so that we can advise you on what to do. If I were asked, I would tell them that it is too early to carry out a measure like that. They need to express by their actions and words, confidence in the government institutions that they have set up and which is their mandate to fund”, he said.
NASS work already suffering
Realistically , shut down or no shut down, the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria , is already affecting the workings of the National Assembly, as both Chambers had last week, suspended public hearings sessions pending the curtailment of the virus .
Anouncement to this effect at the Senate wing , came from the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and in the House of Representatives, from the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, after their separate closed sessions on Thursday.
Lawan in making the announcement said: “The Senate resolves to suspend all public hearings till further notice as a result of the Coronavirus, COVID-19.
“In addition, the Senate gallery will remain closed to the public till further notice including excursions from schools and organisations from Tuesday 24th of March, 2020”.
With this development, it means the National Assembly is technically lockdown for now, since public hearings sessions are critical components of the processes of legislations. Whether the technical lockdown will snowball into total lockdown today will be known in few hours time.
