By Deborah Hassan
365Daily– Following allegations of wrongful diagnosis of COVID-19 on Nigerians by Ghanaian authorities, the Senate has resolved to investigate the matter.
This was sequel to numerous allegations and complaints made by Nigerian travelers isolated at Ghanaian isolation facilities.
The decision was sequel to a motion raised on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, by Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central) titled “Urgent need to conduct investigation on allegation of fake COVID-19 test results being used to defraud Nigerians in Ghana and the obtainment of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.”
Oloriegbe said: “There is a serious allegation that the Ghanaian authorities are diagnosing Nigerians who travel to their country of testing positive for Covid even after testing negative in Nigeria.
“The Ghanaian authorities, usually, commit Nigerians who visit their country to isolation for two weeks and are made to pay about seventy thousand naira or per day.
“This allegation was exposed by a nigerian artiste, who was told in Ghana that he had Covid-19 even after testing negative at a Nigerian facility in Nigeria. He rejected the result and instead that it was a fake result. He was deported and kicked out of a Ghana by the authorities and proceeds to New York in the the United States, where his test result on arrival came out negative.”
He said it was worrisome that Nigerians traveling to Ghana or through Ghana lamented that they are made to pay almost one million naira while in isolation by Ghanaian authorities who have made them targets for the purpose of making money.
The Senator added that if “this allegation is not properly investigated and addressed, the exploitation will continue, thereby unlawfully taking away the resources of Nigerians in this global economic recession.
Sen. Oloriegbe added: “If the allegation of people obtaining and using fake Covid-19 vaccination cards to travel is not debunked, it may have negative consequence for Nigerians with genuine Covid-19 vaccination cards from traveling outside the country.”
The motion was adopted by the Senate and its Committees on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), Primary Health and Communicable Diseases and Foreign Affairs were directed to conduct detailed investigations on the two allegations of fake COVID-19 test result being used to defraud Nigerians in Ghana and obtainment or use of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.