The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase on Tuesday warned members of the House against shunning COVID-19 safety protocols, adding, that the global pandemic is not a joke.
Wase issued the warning shortly before the House adjourned plenary till Thursday in honour of the lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Adebayo Osinowo, aka Pepper, who died on June 15 of suspected COVID-19 complications.
He said: “COVID-19 is real. We should not joke about it. The way and manner we conduct ourselves is not good enough. We are the ones making the regulations and the laws for the country, and if there are protocols that have been established regarding the pandemic, I think we should be honourable enough to observe every protocol that has been put in place.
Read also: BREAKING: 561 new cases of COVID-19 as Nigeria’s total hits 25,694; death toll now 590
“I must say that we have lost quite a number of persons, some very close to us. We should not joke about this matter. I want to plead that we should sit in accordance with the spacing.”
In his contribution, the Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, urged Wase to ask the sergeants-at-arms to mark seats as part of measures to force members to observe social distancing.
Upholding Ado-Doguwa’s prayer, the deputy speaker asked the Chief Whip, Mohammed Monguno, to ensure that the lawmakers sit according to the marking.
While also speaking, the member representing Agege Federal Constituency in Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Adejare, recalled how Osinowo was a cheerful giver, recalling how the late lawmaker once shared N150,000 to security men on his way out of the National Assembly and he was shocked.
Opinions