China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has said Chinese experts who arrived Nigeria in early April were brought in primarily to assist its staff to prevent the COVID-19 infection.
CCECC, a Chinese construction firm that handles some of the largest infrastructure projects in the country, said this in a statement posted on its official Twitter page on Friday.
The construction company said the experts underwent a 14-day quarantine on arrival into the country and were tested for the virus.
It stressed that;
The medical personnel, including infectious disease experts, were brought to Nigeria primarily to assist CCECC in preventing COVID-19 outbreak among its staff and providing expertise on COVID-19 management should the need arise.
In addition to helping CCECC manage the pandemic, the experts also provided technical support to the Federal Government in the installation of equipment at Thisday Dome, a 300-bed isolation centre.
Reacting to recent questions raised about the whereabouts of the medics in the country, the company expressed;
The medical personnel are in Nigeria at the instance of CCECC Nigeria and they have been, at all times, under the care and accommodation of CCECC. During their stay in Nigeria, they have complied with all known immigration and health protocols.
The Chinese experts have been a subject of controversy in Nigeria before and after their entry into the country. Nigeria Medical Association and other Nigerians had countered their entry, saying it was an embarrassment to medics in the country.
Also, few weeks after the arrival of the medics, the Federal Government had expressed that it was not aware of their whereabouts in the country. This led to another bout of outcry and questioning.
Three days later, CCECC revealed that the medical experts are in their care and that they came into the country to assist the company in dealing with the pandemic among its staff.
Read Also: 15 Chinese Medical Experts Are In Our Care – CCECC MD
In further clarification, CCECC in its statement on Friday said none of the experts are involved in the treatment of COVID-19 cases for the country but to perform its assigned mission for the company.
Read full statement from CCECC below;
