President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the mandate of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 until March 2021.

He gave the approval on Tuesday at a meeting with members of the task force at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

At the meeting, President Buhari received the end-of-year report of the task force led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha.

He noted that the mandate of the PTF was extended for a further period of three months, bearing in mind the new surge in the number of cases and the bid for vaccines.

According to the President, recent reports have indicated that Nigeria is facing a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, a situation that is similar to the second wave of infections recorded in other countries.

He added that new epicentres have been identified and Nigeria cannot afford to lose the gains of the last nine months.

President Buhari said that he has critically evaluated the situation and remained convinced that urgent measures needed to be taken to curb the spread and the attendant fatalities.

He explained that this necessitated the need to speedily and strategically access and administer the COVID-19 vaccine in a safe, effective, and timely manner.

The president informed the PTF members that this has become an important obligation that the government owed Nigerians in the new year and it must be carried out through efficient machinery. (Channels TV)

•PHOTO:President Muhammadu Buhari receives the end-of-year report of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 from the PTF Chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha, in Abuja on December 22, 2020