Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19 pandemic has asked the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Ayinla Abubakar, to proceed on indefinite suspension.
The decision followed the mishandling of the evacuation of a man who had reportedly locked himself in his vehicle for days and had become distressed following some personal life challenges.
A video footage had earlier surfaced on the social media about the mishandling of the man’s rescue operation.
“The committee is thoroughly embarrassed at the whole development. While the driver has been sacked from all activities of the committee for unilaterally allowing evacuation of the man by members of the public without waiting for the Rapid Response Team (RRT) to arrive the scene as instructed, the Permanent Secretary who directed him to proceed on the operation with a COVID-19 ambulance without due diligence and respect for all safety protocols is hereby asked to proceed on an indefinite suspension forthwith,” according to a statement by Kayode Alabi, Deputy Governor and Chairman of the COVID-19 Committee.
“As the highest official involved in the RRT squad who gave the directive for the driver to proceed, the committee does not accept his explanation regarding the ugly development.
“He has been asked to hand over to the most senior officer on the team pending his return from suspension. This development also has necessitated a new round of refresher course (which is now ongoing) for all our ambulance drivers and members of the RRT, as the scenario witnessed in the footage cannot be allowed to happen ever again…”