House to Investigation Deaths in Kano, Dead Fishes in N’Delta ...To hold plenary once weekly

            

The House of Representatives on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the causes of the increasing number of mysterious deaths in Kano State.

The House has also directed its Committees on Environment, Healthcare Services and Agricultural Production and Services to investigate the washing ashore of dead fishes in brackish water in Bonny-Andoni, Rivers State, other communities in the Niger Delta region, as well as Ondo and Akwa Ibom States.

Also, following the extension of the lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari to curb the spread of COVID-19, the House of Representatives at the resumption of plenary yesterday resolved to sit once every week till the lockdown order is lifted.

It also called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency and priority scale up the country’s COVID-19 testing capacity.

The resolution of the House yesterday was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by the Leader of the House, Hon. Alhassan Doguwa, and also directed its Committee on Health to engage the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 over the health crisis and strange deaths in Kano State.

In his lead debate, Doguwa said since the index COVID-19 case was recorded on February 27, 2020, the country has so far recorded 1,337 confirmed cases of the virus, 40 deaths and 255 recoveries.

He said the federal government has equally released the sum of N5 billion to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to scale up capacity and strategise rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Doguwa, however, expressed worry over the rising spate of unexplainable deaths in Kano State recently, where 77 COVID-19 cases and one death have been recorded in less than two weeks.

He noted that Kano State, despite its population, has only one testing centre, which has been shut down for about a week now reportedly due to lack of some testing materials and reagents.

Meanwhile, the House has also directed its Committees on Environment, Healthcare Services and Agricultural Production and Services to investigate the washing ashore of dead fishes in brackish water in communities in the Niger Delta region, Ondo and Akwa Ibom States.

This resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion on the 'Urgent Need to Investigate the Occurrence of Dead Fishes in Brackish Water, Ensure Public Sensitisation and Clean-Up of the Environment' sponsored by Hon. Awaji-Inombek D. Abiante and five other lawmakers.

Presenting the motion, Abiante recalled the incidences of large quantities of dead fishes floating on Bonny-Andoni river in Rivers State and several other states since March 2020.

He explained that the most common fish species being washed off is croaker, popularly known as ‘Broke Marriage’ or ‘Onah’ in local dialects, and are believed to be carried by tidal waves from the high sea to the shores and rivers in the communities.

Meanwhile, following the extension of lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the House of Representatives at the resumption of plenary yesterday has resolved to sit once every week till lockdown order is lifted.

The House made the resolution, following the adoption of a motion titled: Regulating Plenary Sittings in the Period of COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown, pursuant to Order One, Rule 1 (2) of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives' sponsored by Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata.