Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The House of Representatives has inaugurated an ad-hoc committee to monitor the activities of the Presidential Task force (PTF) on COVID-19 and all other activities related to management of the pandemic in the country.

The speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, while inaugurating the committee, on Tuesday, said it was part of the resolve of the House to pursue the best interest of the citizenry.

Gbajabiamila charged the 18-man committee to ensure that the activities of the PTF were done in line with international best practices.

According to him “nothing defines a nation more than how its leaders and its people rise to the seismic crises that manifest, often without warning, and must be confronted and overcome in one way or the other.

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“We now face such a defining crisis. And we too will face the judgment of history. It is in our hands to determine what that judgment will be.

“The 18-man committee we have come to inaugurate reflects the intention of the House of Representative to engage the executive arm of government in a partnership that serves the best interests of the Nigerian people as we join hands to confront and conquer the most severe challenge of our lives.”

Gbajabiamila added: “Your role is to add value by serving as a link between the task force and the National Assembly, and with the Nigerian people whose interests we all serve, and to whom we are all answerable.

“It is also your responsibility to ensure that those of our citizens, doctors, nurses and all the health workers on the frontlines of the fight against Covid-19 in Nigeria receive the full protection they deserve, and the benefits they have so honourably earned.”

In his response, the chairman of the committee,  Haruna Mshelia, promised that the panel will engage all agencies involved in the management of the pandemic with a view to ensuring that the gains are not lost in the  post COVID-19 era.