All hands must be on deck if we must win this war as it’s either we kill Corona Virus, or it kills the people
At this critical point, it’s no longer safe or wise for anyone to ignore or keep mum over the obvious ineffectiveness of the government of Kogi State under the watch of Yahaya Bello and Edward Onoja in the tackling or preventing the out break of the deadly Corona Virus in the state.
As at today, all circumferent states to Kogi have recorded, at least, a case of Corona Virus. With this, it becomes bêtise for anyone to think Kogi is safe or free of Coronavirus. Kogi state is currently sitting on the gun powder of Covid-19 awaiting an explosion and it’s imminent. To be realistic, the number of Covid-19 cases in Kogi now could be more than those of other states. The reason they ain’t detected is that the government is in the game of self denial and defence.
How do you dim a state free of an outbreak when the people are not getting tested? If you want people to start dying before you believe, how about the people dying in our remote villages every day, does the government know the causes of their respective deaths? How about patients on admission in the clinics across our localities that the government are not even aware of? We are talking about a virus that operates through common symptoms of Coughing, Soar Throat, Sneezing, Karttah, Temperature and difficulty in breathing. These are usual symptoms of Fever, Malaria and other illnesses we normally don’t take serious as Africans. Without test, you wouldn’t know if the virus is hiding behind anyone showing any of these symptoms.
Kogi State is in danger and Bello’s Covid-19 team led by his deputy, Edward Onoja, has refused to see and acknowledge it. And have also chosen defence as a solution. Every right thinking mind should know that Kogi can’t be exempted at this point considering the influx of travelers from the affected states. This doesn’t mean I am praying for an outbreak but it has become necessary to wake the government up as the state is pathetically living in self denial. A poster said if Kogi State is free from Corona Virus as at now then there is a need to doubt if the virus actually existed in other parts of the country.
As the rest of the world and other states in Nigeria have began to put effective necessary measures in place to contain the spread of the virus and for normalcy to return the Government of Yahaya Bello of Kogi state should engage the manufacturers of Face Masks and Gloves now and make them available for the citizens. These Items can preferably be manufactured in the state as we are seeing the likes of Ayade of Cross Rivers and other governors using their locally made masks. We have people who can do these in Kogi, let them be sourced and brought onboard.
Provision should also be made for blood samples to be sent to Abuja for testing if they can’t afford a testing center. The government should desperately collaborate with the traditional rulers across all localities and security agents for clinics to be put on check and all suspicious cases be brought for the sample test. The country and other states are heading in that direction already and he can’t leave Kogi state as if we don’t have a government. The unequipped centers been shown to the people have nothing to write home about and can’t be used to combat eventual outbreak considering what we are seeing in other states. It’s also a broad day lie for the government to calm that it’s keeping the state boundaries in check to fish out infected travelers.
Similarly, I was duly informed that Kogi State has received some palliatives in form of food items and other things from the Federal Government yesterday. Those goods must be impartially shared across the party line and must not be diverted to personal pockets. This is not the time to play politics, this is not the time for security agents to be used for unnecessary missions. All hands must be on deck if we must win this war as it’s either we kill Corona Virus, or it kills the people.
Usman Okai Austin
Public Affairs Analyst
Written From Abuja.
