Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has announced fresh measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
These include a $26m (£21m) grant to Lagos state and a $13m grant to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Nigeria has recorded a steady rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with the current total figure now 65.
The new funding was accompanied by the introduction of new measures after Nigeria recorded 14 new coronavirus cases, the highest number of confirmed cases in a single day.
In a series of tweets, President Buhari said cargo vessels would not be allowed to dock in Nigeria unless they have been at sea for more than 14 days and their crew has been tested and declared disease free.
Oil and gas vessels are however exempted.
He has also directed the NCDC to draft all its recently retired staff back into service, as well as instructing the immediate return of all staff and experts of the NCDC who are away on training or international assignments – to beef up the country’s response to the pandemic.
President Buhari stated that the Nigerian Air Force was bringing some of the country’s specialists in central Africa back home to enable them support the fight against coronavirus.
Lagos remains the epicentre of the outbreak with a total of 44 confirmed cases. Twelve of the 14 new cases are in Lagos. The number of cases in the capital, Abuja, has also risen to 11.
