There are fears that all may not be well with the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, following his close contact with Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State during a recent National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Governor Bala Mohammed later came out to announce that he had tested positive to Covid-19.
Addressing journalists in Awka on Monday, two top officials of the Anambra State Government, the Chief of Staff, Primus Odili, and Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwudobelu, said that the Governor has been in isolation for the past eleven days.
The duo stressed the Governor decided to isolate himself having sat next to the Bauchi State Governor during the last NEC meeting.
“But if you are aware of the sitting arrangement during the meeting, you will find out that they usually observe social distancing. That you are in a hall with a man who has the disease does not mean that you can be infected,” the SSG said.
“The Governor,” he added, “is a very enlightened person, and because he knows he has been in a meeting with such calibre of people, he decided to go into self-quarantine.
“Obiano is on self-quarantine. I have not seen him for the past one week, and we only talk on phone. We had two hours meeting yesterday (Sunday) using zoom. There are no fears about his health at all.”
Odili and Chukwudobelu however called for calm, saying that “the Governor has not developed any form of symptom since then. He is hale and hearty.”
Meanwhile, Governor Obiano has announced the opening of a special account tagged “Anambra State COVID-19 account’ for donations to help fight the spread of Coronavirus into the state.
To this end, his administration has called on the Federal government to provide it with N1b fund to help curb the spread of the pandemic into the state.
Anambra, which at the moment has no record of COVID-19, has been working round the clock to ensure the pandemic does not find its way into the state.
Some of the measures put into place include closure of markets and government offices, monitoring of the borders, setting up of isolation centers as well as a committee led by the State Governor to ensure the state is safe
In a statement earlier on Monday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba, Governor Obiano enjoined the Federal Government to service the state a total of N1bn, saying that it will help sustain the zero record it already has because of the strategic nature of Anambra State people in commerce and industry.
The statement partly reads: “Governor Obiano, therefore, considers it imperative that the Federal Government provides at least N1bn to Anambra, which is at risk in view of the multitude of people in its numerous markets and the peripatetic nature of the people who have been helping in the rapid development of all parts of Nigeria.
“Besides, we have as many as 63 major markets in the state, including the Onitsha main market, which is the largest market in West Africa.
“The markets are always full of millions of people from different countries in West and Central Africa, thereby making our people vulnerable to the contagion.
“The Anambra State Government would like to use this opportunity to announce the creation of a special account to assist ndi Anambra grapple with the grave challenges of the coronavirus. Known as the Anambra State COVID- 19 account, it is in response to various inquiries from people of Anambra State origin in different parts of Nigeria and beyond who have been seeking ways to assist their people since the viral disease outbreak.”
“The account, which is domiciled in a new generation bank, would be administered by Obiano as the Chairman of Anambra COVID-19 Task Force, to ensure absolute transparency and accountability.”