The mission of Chinese doctors in Nigeria – Aregbesola interior minister finally gives answers

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has finally disclosed the mission of the 15 Chinese medical experts who came into the country in April.

Speaking at the daily press briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Tuesday May 19, the honourable minister said the experts are in Nigeria on the bill of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to assist in building and equipping isolation centres.

He also dismissed claims that they have left Nigeria. 

“Indeed 15 Chinese nationals came into Nigeria on 8th of April. They are here on the bill of the CCECC, a Chinese company doing some works for us in Nigeria in conjunction with some Nigerian companies they agreed to support us in the effort to respond to the pandemic.

At Idu isolation centre in Abuja, they participated in retrofitting and equipping the isolation centre. They equally worked on the Dome project, that was handled by the NNPC Construction in conjunction with ThisDay.

So, those are the locations in which they came to work. Both in retrofitting the Iju facility and installing critical essential medical equipment” he said

Aregbesola also said that the Chinese experts came into Nigeria on a 30-day visa issued in Beijing and they are still in the country because there is a restriction on travel occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.