COVID-19: You’re Welcome Into Middle Of The Storm, Nigeria Tells New WHO Rep

While welcoming Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the new WHO Representative to Nigeria, the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has told the new Rep that Nigeria is pleased to have him on board as the Health Team “will count on his experience to continue to calibrate on our response” as the new man is “coming right in the middle of the storm.”

The Honourable Minister of Health also expressed the appreciation of Nigeria to the UN Bodies who have come together to create “One Basket Fund” which he wanted the new WHO Country Rep to get interested in, because the Fund significantly boosted the resources and the assets which Nigeria has to respond; “the first of which was the $2Million consignment that came into Nigeria to kick start everything that Nigeria has to do, just as the other consignments begin to roll in”, the Minister said. Dr. Ehanire also disclosed that Nigeria has a good stock in the warehouse along with “what we get from other countries, the EU and the US Government, UK, Global Fund, everybody is chipping in from all sides and giving us support.” “We are pleased with the handholding that is going on, and we hope that all that will continue to grow.”

The new WHO Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo has been in Nigeria since 18th June, 2020 for his 2nd coming to work. He has been in the country but in isolation as required by the protocol having been deployed from Accra, Ghana.

The new WHO Rep in Nigeria disclosed that he was impressed by the set up at the Airport when he was coming in, as well as the protocol put in place at the hotel he stayed in. He said that Nigeria’s administrators who are handling COVID-19 protocols gave him the impression that they surely know what they are doing. Dr. Mulombo congratulates the Honourable Minister of Health, for taking the leadership to make Nigeria certified polio-free. “It is a very big achievement and it paves the way for the whole continent to be certified polio-free; in that we are very proud of Nigeria.”

He also congratulated Dr. Ehanire for his leadership in many areas”, the last one which he recalled, was the successful grant application to global fund through the first window where it was thought that Nigeria wouldn’t get it, but Nigeria made it.” He told his host that WHO would want to build on the success and to explore other avenues to support the Health Ministry and the Government of Nigeria.

The new WHO Rep also said, even though COVID-19 is a storm as Dr. Ehanire described it, he said “the advantage and lessons learnt from managing Nigeria to a Polio-free country can be built upon, to try and address issues regarding the COVID-19 and other health emergencies.”

Before the coming of Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo to resume as the new WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Fiona Braka has been acting and representing WHO on the Presidential Task Force of COVID-19, the flagship body for managing issues of COVID-19 in Nigeria.