By Seun Adams
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olurunnimbe Mamora, has commended a group, the Society Committee Against COVID-19 (SOCOVID), for documenting the pandemic’s chronology for posterity.
According to him, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic can easily be forgotten when not properly documented.
Mamora made the disclosure in a statement signed by Mr. Olujimi Oyetomi, the Director of Press, when the SOCOCOVID team paid him a visit during the week end to intimate him of their initiative in developing a book of record called the National COVID-19 Support Register.
The book according to the authors will serve as a mirror of history incorporating records of daily infections, deaths, those recovered, major government responses and directives, institutions that retooled to create technologies that assisted, private sector complimenting responses, non-governmental organisations and individual responses in terms of equipment/material support, palliatives and donations toward the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Coordinator (SOCOCOVID), Kenneth Ibe-kalu said the organization which is a conglomeration of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community based organisations (CBOs) having reviewed the importance of history, made the book to provide opportunities for all those who made impact in the fight against COVID-19 to tell their stories and have their activities recorded.
He said the most important part of the human support value-chain to sign this register with their pictures and brief commentaries are our doctors and nurses and other critical personnel who fought and are still fighting in the front line risking all to save many.
Ibe-kalu was appealing for the support of the Federal Ministry of Health, requesting full partnership in form of good will support.
In a response, Mamora thanked the team for sharing their vision and initiative regarding the event of the moment, the COVID-19 pandemic.
He further stated that he cannot agree less with the saying that “events can easily be forgotten when not properly documented, according to him, especially an event of the nature of COVID-19.
The Minister said that “The last time the world witnessed such a pandemic was in 1918, which is about a century ago, hence the need for proper documentation and record for posterity as well as history, for learning.”
The Minister acknowledged that the pandemic is a brutal virus that spares no one as it has no respect for age, colour, race or religion, position or status.
“The pandemic has forced the entire world to take a position, that the pandemic would not defeat us, rather we shall defeat this common enemy. It has affected lives and livelihood, lives were lost, livelihood has collapsed, some nations are already in recession and possibly more will go into recession. The pandemic is one thing that has left in its trail, sorrows, tears and blood in terms of its devastation on human race”, the Minister stated.
He applauded the commitment and efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s own fight in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up of a Task-force team headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, comprising of a number of Ministers, and key experts in the health sector with need to have input in combating the pandemic, stating that the President has exhibited leadership in all ramification, which earned him the appointment from his counterparts and colleagues particularly in the ECOWAS sub-region to confer on him the position of a Champion of the fight against COVID-19.
“We cannot but acknowledge the role of the entire health sector, doctors, nurses, pharmacist, medical laboratory scientist, hospital workers, cleaners, ambulance drivers, stretcher bearers etc, amongst whom quite a number have lost their lives. When we remember those who are alive, we must also remember those who are dead, particularly dying in the course of rendering service to our nation”, the Minister, stated.
Mamora, assured of his support only on a personal note, as well as in his capacity as the Minister of State for Health, stating that he believes the Minister for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the entire health sector and even beyond up to the Presidential Task Force, will find this initiative worthy of support.