It has been gathered that the House of Representatives Minority Caucus on Tuesday, kicked against the move by the Federal Government to invite a team of Chinese medical experts to come and help in the fight against Coronavirus.

In his official statement in Abuja, the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, said that bringing the medical experts from the epicentre of the dreaded disease could expose Nigerians to more harm.

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) charged Nigerians to throw their weights behind the Federal Government’s decision to bring in the experts.

Switch Nigeria reported that the Minister of Health Dr Osagie Ehanire told Nigerians that an 18-man team was being expected on the invitation of a Chinese firm, a position backed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

But the announcement has received a serious backlash from majority of Nigerians, with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) also kicking against the move.

Consequently, taking the side off most Nigerians, the House Minority Caucus asked the Federal Government not to go ahead with the decision and let go of all plans to bring in doctors from the hotbed of the plague into the country at this critical time.
The House opposition members believe that Nigerian doctors and nurses were doing well in managing the scourge.

The Caucus’ President General, Goodluck Ibem, said it would amount to a suicide mission to invite those “who introduced the coronavirus to the world”.

The group said: “These so-called Chinese doctors are not coming to help anyone in Nigeria but to infect and kill Nigerians with the coronavirus.
“It is on record that Chinese doctors visited Italy claiming to assist Italians to cure the dreaded coronavirus but instead of curing them, the Italians became more infected with the coronavirus that has left over 20,000 Italians dead so far.

“The Lagos State government has discharged so many patients who tested positive and are now negative of the coronavirus. Why then should the Federal government bring in foreigners who are the real cause of the pandemic that is killing the people?”

In their defence, the APC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu told newsmen that the nation can do with the expert support at a criti time like this.

“In a situation like this, the idea of shared experience is nothing we can undermine.
“Some people have gone through the same experience and have gone through certain processes that we can learn from, so we should not shy away from shared experience. We need to share ideas. We need to combine forces because this is a global enemy that is not limited to Nigeria.”

He added, “The medical experts are coming for us to benefit from them and they, in return will benefit from our experts. We will combine strength and we will be stronger than our common invisible enemy.”

“The government’s action is not in any way suggestive of the fact that our doctors and medical professionals are not up to date. Actually some are the best you can find anywhere in the world. They have proven this both within Nigeria and outside.”

“They have held their own everywhere they have gone, but the situation now requires all hands on deck,” he added.