According to the lawmakers, the two weeks of recess will enable legislators to be tested for the virus. 

The resolution followed a motion on ‘Emergency response to tackle coronavirus’ which was introduced during plenary by Josiah Edem from Akwa Ibom state.

During the debate on the motion, most of the lawmakers lamented that there is nothing being done to adequately prepare the national assembly in the event of the spread of the virus among staff and visitors.

Minority leader Ndudi Elumelu, would go on to move that the house suspends its activities to enable the national assembly management put in place adequate measures to safeguard lawmakers against the outbreak.

“This house should suspend plenary for two weeks for adequate handling of this matter and to allow management to put measures so that all of us can be tested,” Elumelu was quoted as saying. 

“This is a very serious matter… otherwise you don’t know who you are shaking.”

Isiaka Ibrahim from Ogun said the federal government “needs to do more to be pro-active”.

“The facilities are not here presently,” he said, adding: “There are only two control centres, one in Lagos and one in Abuja. Nigeria is standing at zero as far as this is concerned.

“This is a wake up call for all of us. We are not talking about coronavirus. What is the case after coronavirus?”

Awaji-Inombek Abiante from Rivers state said there is nothing being done to check the spread of the virus to the national assembly complex.

“We brought down a motion to bring down our brothers and sisters in Wuhan for fear that we don’t have the capacity to handle it. Now, our fears have caught up with us,” he said.

“We saw where ministers were praising themselves that Nigeria was ready for the coronavirus. We should be more pro-active. Here, there is nothing to check any man who is symptomatic.

“We don’t have anything at all. Are we ready for what is coming to us? The answer is no. Let us make contributions that will indeed better the future of this country and that of Nigerians.”

Nigeria has just one confirmed case of the virus at the time of filing this.