Just as the face off between Kogi state government and National Center For Disease Controls, NCDC lingers the state government has taken a new dimension in a Facebook post made by Bunyamin Iye Adam, Yahaya Bello has acquired test kits for the state without NCDC approval to commence COVID-19 test with Governor Bello as a supervisor not NCDC
OBSERVERS TIMES earlier reported that Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, says Nigerian leaders are shifting priorities in their response to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.
Nigeria has recorded 4641 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria
Discharged: 902
Deaths: 150
President Muhammadu Buhari last week announced nationwide measures that include a ban on interstate travelling, compulsory use of face masks, overnight curfew, as well as other preventive measures to combat the spread of the disease.
Many other state governments have also completely shut down social and economic activities at one point or the other since Nigeria recorded its index case on February 27.
Cross River and Bello’s Kogi are the only two states in the country yet to record cases, but authorities have expressed fears that it might be because the governments of both states are not taking it seriously enough.
Bello and Cross River’s Governor Ben Ayade have been vocal about their displeasure with the response of the Federal Government and other state governments.
A delegation of officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was this week deployed to Kogi to assess the state’s response.
NCDC Director-General, Chikwe Ihekweazu, believes Kogi and Cross River are not doing enough tests to detect COVID-19 [Twitter/@Dawisu]
NCDC Director-General, Chikwe Ihekweazu, believes Kogi and Cross River are not doing enough tests to detect COVID-19 [Twitter/@Dawisu]
However, while addressing the delegation on Thursday, May 7, Bello intensified his rebuke of political leaders, health officials, and the media in their reaction to the outbreak.
He said too much panic and fears have been spread about COVID-19 as if it was the end of the world.
The 44-year-old said the disease is being massively marketed everywhere in the media while shifting priorities from other important things.
“There are so many merchants now marketing COVID-19 as if that is our priority.
“Our struggling economy that Mr President is trying to revive, we’re further killing it,” the governor said.
He said his government has done its best to make sure it did not spread panic about the outbreak, and claimed that death rate has dropped drastically during the period of the pandemic because he provided ‘that leadership’.
However, he lamented that the state’s ability to generate revenue has been badly-hit by the heavy-handed response of other governments of surrounding states.
Bello further claimed that he has thoroughly educated himself about the coronavirus, a novel disease, and that its symptoms are nothing new.
“Is this the first time we’re having these kinds of symptoms in Nigeria?
“Haven’t we been living with it and teaching ourselves and moving on?” he questioned the officials.