Gbajabiamila, Lawan

The chief of staff to the president, Mr. Abba Kyari has written a terse letter to the two presiding officers of the senate and the House of Representatives, Messrs Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila respectively urging them to direct some lawmakers who recently returned to Nigeria from overseas trips report themselves to the nearest Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) test centre “with immediate effect.”

In the letter to dated March 21, 2020, Kyari who signed the memo stated that the lawmakers refused to present themselves for screening at the airports.

The letter tagged confidential and marked SH/COS/TP/03 was sequel to the complaint by the minister of health about some lawmaker who refused “subject themselves to the medical screening at airports.

The chief of staff therefore urged the senate president and the speaker to use their offices to ensure that the lawmakers complied and ensured they were screened at the airports.

The letter read: “It has been brought to the notice of the Honorable Minister of Health recently reported to this office that some members of the House of Representatives are refusing to subject themselves to the medical screening at airports.

“As you are aware, these airport screenings are our primary line of defense and refusal by any citizen to subject to these tests is a threat to our nation.

“Accordingly, you are kindly requested to direct all members of the House of Representatives who returned to Nigeria from foreign trips to report themselves to the nearest NCDC test centre with immediate effect.”