President Muhammadu Buhari has approached the National Assembly with a proposal to establish a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed on Saturday met with Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to discuss the fund meant o strengthen healthcare infrastructure to tackle the virus.
Mrs Ahmed was accompanied to the meeting by senior officials from her ministry.
The meeting held at the National Assembly was also attended by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase and some other principal officers from both chambers.
It was a follow-up to one held last week Wednesday between the National Assembly leadership and members of the Presidential Committee which was set up for the management of the COVID-19 crisis.
“What we are proposing is an establishment of a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund,” Ahmed told the lawmakers.
“This fund that we are proposing, that should be created, will involve mopping up resources from various special accounts that the government as well as the Federation have, to be able to pull this N500 billion,” the minister said.
“Our general view is that this crisis intervention fund is to be utilised to upgrade healthcare facilities as earlier identified.
“The Federal Government also needs to be in a position to improve health care facilities not only in the states but to provide intervention to the states.”
Nigeria has 209 confirmed cases of coronavirus and four deaths as of Saturday.
Lagos and Ogun states and the Federal Capital Territory entered a two-week lockdown on Monday aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus.
