…Says only scientific inquiry can guarantee credibility of origin

By Chris Ochayi

The Director, Centre for China Studies, CCS, Mr Charles Onunaiju, has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic origin tracing should be devoid of the political virus of big power rivalry and ideological hegemony.

Onunaiju, who gave the warning while speaking at a workshop on ‘COVID-19 Vaccines: Ensuring Fair and Equitable Distribution’ organized by Diplomats Extra Magazine in Abuja noted that origin tracing of the pandemic by the United States, US, should not be tainted in any way.

According to him, the credibility of any outcome on the investigation of the origin of the virus can only be guaranteed if its process is led by scientific inquiry and the efforts are inclusive and globally collaborative with the World Health Organization playing a vital and pivotal role.

He said, “My point is that the origin tracing of the COVID-19 pandemic should not be tainted with the political virus of big power rivalry and ideological hegemony.

“No one country, no matter how much it is endowed, can alone provide a credible investigation and result.”

The Director further said the job of investigating the origin which the Government of the United States has entrusted to the United States intelligence community; its outcome will hardly be free of the contagion of the insidious political virus.

Onunaiju said “The imperative for broad collaboration and scientific-led inquiry cannot be over-emphasized if the outcome of any origin investigation is to be credible.”

In his remarks, the Publisher, Diplomats Extra Magazine, Raphael Oni, recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Wuhan in late 2019 and has become a global pandemic which has caused countless hospitalizations and deaths.

Oni noted that world economies have also suffered devastating blows from the pandemic and has made traveling around the world an uphill task.

He stated that while some individuals speculated the origin of the virus to be Wuhan, China, the workshop sought to also trace the origin of the pandemic using scientific method of tracing.

“This pandemic spread fast and within a short period, infections had skyrocketed.

“To curb the spread of this virus, administrations decided to put into place, such measures as restricting travel, enforcing personal distance in public, shutting down most public places and businesses, and ordering people to wear face masks in public.”