₦airaland Forum

Few weeks after wild excitement greeted the arrival of 15 Chinese nationals in Nigeria to help in the fight against Coronavirus in the country, things appear to have taken a different turn. 

Before the arrival of the Chinese, various government officials raised the hopes of Nigerians, eloquently projecting that as soon as they touched down in the country, Coronavirus would almost be banished from every nook and cranny especially going by the manner at which China had been able to box the virus to a corner. 

But not thrilled by the move to ignore local medical practitioners and go for foreigners, the Nigerian Medical Association described the move as “a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the association and other health workers giving their best in the fight against COVID-19 under deplorable working conditions”. 

Despite the flurry of criticisms from various stakeholders, the Nigerian Government insisted that the arrival of the 15 Chinese, who up until that period were all thought to be doctors, was going to be long awaited game changer in the fight against the deadly virus. 

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, admonished Nigerians to see the arrival of the 15 Chinese as a positive step towards advancing medicine in Nigeria.

Shortly after that period, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on May 4 said that, “The Chinese are doing well, they all tested negative for Coronavirus.As to what they are doing right now, they are busy working at our isolation centres, putting together and setting up their equipment they brought.

“They are helping our doctors in capacity building in the centres. Like we said at the beginning, none of the Chinese doctors will be treating any patient in Nigeria.”

However, a new twist was added to the drama on Thursday when Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, during the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing, said that he had no idea on the whereabouts of the 15 Chinese imported into the country to help wrestle and defeat Coronavirus.

He said, “I want to explain that first of all, I think not all of them are doctors and I heard that some of them are technicians but they are staff of CCECC.

“The Ministry of Health is not their host, so we cannot always explain what happened to them or where they are.
There seems to be a lot of interest in these doctors but they are staff of a company. I would be very happy if you do not ask me where they are.”

According to observers, the situation has exposed the Nigerian Government’s insincerity in the fight against the pandemic and the cracks within its ranks where officials are already giving different explanation to a single event. 

"They knew from the word go that these guys were not doctors because some of us protested and things we heard showed that it was all arranged," a federal law-maker, who asked not to be named told SaharaReporters.

“Government lied to the Nigerian people about the identity of the men because of their corrupt ties to the company.

"There are secret monies, contracts and loans exchanging hands between the presidency, Accountant General's office and Malami who is involved as well.

"They all get kickbacks from CCECC especially from sensitive contracts awarded to them like our airport in Abuja.

“China made a request to welcome this people publicly as a show of strength even when there was outrage about the treatment of Nigerians in China. They could not say no because their hands are tied,” he added.

Recall that SaharaReporters had on April 10 exclusively reported how the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation single-handedly shipped the 15 Chinese workers into the Nigeria against the widespread belief that the arrival of the doctors was facilitated by the Nigerian Government. 

This move by the construction firm, according to findings by SaharaReporters, was to properly cement its place in the Nigerian system where a lot of contracts had been awarded to it by government. 

Due to its involvement in some activities with government officials, which led to scandals, CCECC, by bringing in the 15 Chinese workers, was desperately trying to save face especially after eyebrows were raised over its operation in Nigeria.

In a letter confirming that it in fact brought in the doctors and medical supplies on its own accord, Micheal Jiang, MD of CCECC in Nigeria, said the move was the company’s way of supporting the country’s fight against the COVID-19.

The move by CCECC was to save face and continue to get patronage from the Nigerian Government especially after it was blacklisted by the World Bank over alleged fraud and corruption in 2019.

CCECC together with five other Chinese companies was accused of violating the global bank’s procurement guidelines and declared ineligible of receiving any World Bank contracts between June 4, 2019 and March 3, 2020.

Before then in July 2018, CCECC had been involved in a scholarships scandal it offered to some Nigerians to study Railway Engineering in China.

However, despite these scandals that has trailed the Chinese company in recent times, documents seen by SaharaReporters showed that CCECC remains popular among Nigerian Government officials and has continued to enjoy huge patronage by way of contract awards.

RZArecta:
#SinzuMoney #YahooProMax

Agboriotejoye:
Government of lies and propaganda.I was telling one zombie that CCECC is Chinese govt and not a private company recently and he nearly tore me to pieces.

The truth is, this particular political class are Chinese dummies just as those of the 90s were western puppets. What's damning about this is the proclivity to lie to 200million people at the drop of a hat....

COVID-19: Nigerians Blast Buhari Government as ‘Chinese Doctors Turn ‘Engineers’

Nigerians on social media have blasted the Federal Government for allegedly deceiving the people on the real mission of the 15 Chinese that arrived the country on April 8, 2020.

They cried out that the 15 Chinese that arrived on the account of providing medical advice to the country in the fight against coronavirus now do the work of engineers.

The Chinese on arrival in Nigeria were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by the Minister of Health on the account that they were coming in to help Nigeria fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and PTF Chairman, Boss Mustapha, explained that the Chinese doctors were here in advisory and capacity building roles.

But during one of the PTF’s press briefing, Dr Ehanire had disclosed that some of the Chinese who came into Nigeria are technicians of CCECC.

On their actual mission in the country, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on his part, told Nigerians that the persons he described as ‘Chinese medical team’ are working at isolation centres in the country in building and setting up equipment.

And just yesterday, while speaking during Tuesday’s press briefing of the PTF, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola said that the doctors are in the country to help in “building and equipping” COVID-19 isolation centres.

Nigerians are wondering how the medical doctors are gradually becoming civil engineers.Here are some opinions shared in Twitter by angry Nigerians as gathered by DAILY POST:

@Nemefrank, “They called them medical doctors initially, before they came into the country, that was NMA was fighting it. Now medical doctors are building isolation centers for us.

@Akinduludeniza1, “To think they told us they were doctors. The problem is the govt know we are stupid people.”

@alan_dolla, “In fact I was not surprised… When I saw Airpeace fly to China to bring this so doctor I know it was a big lie. If Chinese govt wanted to help they’ll come with their flight. Politicians already sold this country to Uganda

@egrego, “From the above explanation, who the heck called them medical experts? Either our government officials don’t know the real jobs of these ‘experts’ or there is more than meets the eyes. More keys to the puzzle coming.”

@BenjaminIchech18, “The medical personnel ‘are now not guests of the Federal Government but CCECC, a construction company.’ You guys are taking us all as fools in this country. But one day we shall rise to destroy all those liar’s in Aso rock.”

@Emmanuel41720182, “According to him the Chinese experts came into Nigeria on a 30-day visa on April 8th and are still in the country because there is a restriction on travel occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. He forgot that on April 8th when they arrived travel restrictions were already in place.”

@de0deomson, “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry for these government officials with their contradictory comments.”

@AdebisiAdebuso, “Presently I am crying in my heart, the leaders we have now are harbouring evil for us in this nation.”

@Starlight5835, “Useless people, how can they say they don’t know their whereabouts, what if they came to release some kind of modified virus in the air? People are dying nowadays, do the maths. They are not here for something good. Nigerians we should be talking, this politicians are killing us.”

@TracyNnabuko882, “But from the same government, the Minister of health said he does not know their whereabouts. Now this, joke of a nation.”

@SaintDenix, “They are not a guest of the federal government but yet the health minister went to welcome them at the airport. Some thing isn’t just adding up … I have given up hope on this country a long time ago .. this is not even a country ..a bunch of clowns running things.”

@SNOkolo, “Our govt. woke up one day & said they are bringing Chinese medical experts. That was their exact words. Nigerians cried out that they don’t need extra medical experts. Today, same govt. Says they are now Engineers and our fake and defeated media won’t still ask d right question.”

@Jikezuagu, “15 Chinese ‘experts’ couldn’t go back after over staying there 30 days visa because of suspension of international flights. Have Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola forgot that there was suspension of flights since March before their arrival on April 8th? Biko…. who do this to this nation?”

@Groovereben, “From health minister to information minister now interior minister, next might be sports minister telling us what Chinese experts came to do in Nigeria.”

@Chinaza_best, “Wait, is it that these ministers don’t read paper or watch news to at least know what their colleagues said about a subject matter and say in the same line? Different stories from different ministers in the same party and in one government.”

Charmingrascal:
The same Health Minister that was shining his teeth while welcoming those Chinkos at the Airport against the wish of many Nigerians, is now telling us not to ask him about their where about because he doesn't know.
What manner of irresponsibility is that....This Government is so shameless and insincere...