Olalekan Adetayo , Abuja Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday raised the alarm that the country is currently in a critical situation with the increasing number of confirmed COVID- 19 cases . According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity , Laolu Akande, the Vice President made the observation when he toured the facilities of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’ s Reference Laboratory , Gaduwa, Abuja, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire; Minister of State for Health , Olorunnimbe Mamora ; and the Director- General , NCDC , Chikwe Ihekweazu. The statement was titled “ Not yet where we want , but we are making significant progress in public health sector , says Osinbajo. ” READ ALSO: NIN: NIMC begins enrolment for diplomats Akande quoted Osinbajo as lamenting that “we have a critical situation on our hands currently with the increasing number of cases being recorded. ” Despite this , however , the Vice President was further quoted as saying that a lot of progress has been made since Nigeria ’s first case was reported in February 2020. He said, “We have activated nearly 120 laboratories nationwide – 70 of them public laboratories – and have significantly ramped up our testing and case management capacity. “We have expanded the footprint of our sovereign public health response capabilities especially at the subnational level and in areas where previously such capabilities did not exist. READ ALSO: Customs deny destruction of properties at Seme border “Not so long ago , test samples had to be flown out of the country for examination . This is no longer the case as we now have the capacity to process samples internally. ” Osinbajo said the achievements recorded so far should not be taken for granted . He added that the present regime was committed to consolidating on them. “While we are not yet where we want to be as a nation , we are most certainly not where we were at the onset of the pandemic,” he said. The Vice President then commended Nigeria ’s public and private healthcare specialists and workers in the line of duty for ensuring the safety , cure and prevention of the majority of Nigerians from the COVID- 19 virus , sometimes under extremely challenging circumstances . READ ALSO: Quit notice : Sunday Igboho , supporters storm Igangan He said, “ Thousands of health professionals have been working tirelessly on Nigeria ’s COVID- 19 public health response . “From the people across sample collection sites and laboratories ensuring testing , and our dedicated physicians, nurses and other health workers in treatment centres providing care to the sick , to our medical scientists that are conducting research on various aspects of this plague . “We also have state public health teams working hard to ensure data reporting and analysis , contact tracing , risk communications and so much more . “Within this period , you have all worked extremely hard to activate testing in all states of our country , you have increased our knowledge of this disease , grown our capacity to swiftly identify those infected by the plague and render aid to them. ” Osinbajo said he was aware that the work they do can often seem thankless and the long hours put in unnoticed and unappreciated. READ ALSO: Gunmen abduct SSANU DELSU chairman in Delta “Often it happens in the background and in the shadows , away from public attention and it will not often grab the headlines . But it only seems this way. In truth, this is the sort of work that builds nations and saves lives . “When the record of our response to this unprecedented threat to our public health is written, the efforts of our healthcare professionals will occupy a significant place with the thanks of a grateful nation ,” he said. The Vice President spoke on the research of Nigerians towards getting a cure for the COVID- 19 virus . He said, “Last week I was in briefing meetings, listening to the landmark research of a team of Professors from LUTH who are investigating the efficacy of some of the drugs in the therapeutic management of COVID - 19 and are researching its prophylactic use . “A few days later , I was listening to Prof Christian Happi and his team who have produced a ground- breaking COVID- 19 rapid test, but more remarkably, are developing a Nigerian anti - COVID- 19 vaccine. ” Osinbajo urged Nigerians to continue to comply with COVID- 19 non-pharmaceutical measures .

Eniola Akinkuotu with agency reports United States President, Joe Biden, has signed some executive orders thereby lifting the immigrant visa ban placed on Nigerians by his predecessor, Donald Trump . According to a report by Bloomberg , Biden also reversed the systemic ban placed on citizens from Muslim dominated countries like Yemen . Trump had last February placed an immigrant visa ban on Nigeria , citing Nigeria ’s lack of a robust database. The American Ambassador to Nigeria , Mary-Beth Leonard , stated at the time that Nigeria must improve on its data intelligence to ease the investigation of its citizens wishing to migrate to the US , if it wants the ban lifted . READ ALSO: Winners , losers of US election The Nigerian government subsequently set up a committee on Citizen Data Management and Harmonisation , to address the complaints of the US which led to the recent push for all Nigerians to register with the National Identity Management Commission and obtain a National Identity Number . READ ALSO: Biden calls for end to divisions, signs Executive Order reversing Trump policies With Biden ’s reversal of Trump ’s order, Nigerians will now be able to apply for green cards . The Bloomberg report reads in part, “The ban that Biden ended , blocked entry to most people from Iran , Syria , Libya , Yemen , Somalia , and North Korea . It also restricted immigrant visas for people from Nigeria , Kyrgyzstan , Myanmar , and Eritrea as well as for certain others from Venezuela and Tanzania. ” Biden on Wednesday began reversing Trump ’s immigration policies, part of an aggressive push to roll back some of the most controversial actions of his predecessor and chart a new course for the nation . YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 18 Anambra children unclaimed two years after rescue – Police In one of his first acts as president , Biden signed an executive action ending restrictions on travel and immigration from some predominantly Muslim countries. The measure directs the State Department to resume visa processing for those countries and develop a plan to address people affected , such as those who were denied entry to the US The action also orders reviews of other “extreme vetting ” practices used by the Trump administration , while directing the US to improve information- sharing with foreign governments to bolster screening of travellers . READ ALSO : I offered my student N300 -N500 to have sex with her – Katsina VP arrested for rape Biden is also proposing a sweeping immigration bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million people living illegally in the US White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday night that the president had sent the text of his proposal to Congress . The legislation marks a stark contrast with the Trump administration ’s efforts to restrict both legal and illegal immigration during its four years in power . The new president issued a proclamation ordering a stop to the construction of Trump ’s wall along the border with Mexico. It rescinds the national emergency that Trump declared to secure funding for the wall . YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Winners, losers of US election The travel ban and border wall were the fulfilments of Trump ’s central 2016 campaign promises , to crack down on immigration and limit the number of Muslims coming to the US Biden condemned them as an attack on racial and religious minorities . Just one week after taking office , Trump announced he would suspend entry to travellers from seven mostly Muslim nations : Iran , Iraq , Syria , Libya , Yemen , Somalia and Sudan. The policy also suspended refugee resettlement . Federal judges blocked the first version of the ban from being implemented . A third version went into place following numerous court challenges. Receive Alerts on: Whatsapp: +2349090060943, Twitter: @ MobilePunch, BBM: C 003 D3DC 0 Share your story with us : SMS: +2349090060943, Whatsapp : +2349090060943, Email: punchonline@ punchng .com US TRAVEL BAN