In the face of the scary COVID-19 pandemic , the government of Adamawa state under governor Umar Fintiri has been faced with a number of problems arising from how to curb the pandemic.
First, in the order of things is how to prevent the disease from entering the state, a herculean task, considering the vast boarders of the state locally and internationally. Secondly, is the recalcitrant and stubborn nature of the citizenry that refused to appraise the imminent danger that the pandemic posed as it was viewed as something remote to the state ( or a rich man’s disease) until the first case was reported in the state despite protracted attempts by the government to create awareness about the danger that it poses. However, the persistent attempts by the government have been able to check the spread of the virus in the past few weeks.
It is therefore not surprising that Adamawa State has in the past few weeks received its share of media representation of the corona pandemic following the single case discovered in the state. However, the most unfortunate thing related to the incident is that some people rushed to the mass media to heap blame on the state government and the person of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for dubious political reasons.
Their campaign which is meant to cause disaffection for the government is largely orchestrated by charlatan spin-masters whose job was to lie in the past four years and to create hatred in the current dispensation. However, discerning citizens have unfolded their shenanigans and know that their role in the previous government has something to do with their warped attempt to tarnish the image of the present government.
A lot can be said on the events in Adamawa State to the benefit or detriment of the government of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, but one thing that is becoming visible is the fact that some people do not wish him well.
Events in Adamawa state have been reported by the mass media by those predisposed to discredit the government and make it appear as an unfeeling and corrupt government by creating false images and fabricating lies that shroud the innovative and proactive measures of governor Fintiri to check the spread of the virus in Adamawa state an act that has kept the virus at one of the lowest levels in Nigeria.
However, his traducers are no- good- doers that do not wish him and the people of Adamawa state well and are therefore hell-bent to denigrate the government’s efforts by lying on all fronts.
Opponents of the government, especially members of the All Progressive Congress( APC) have been in the fore- front of circulating false information to the state about the government in handling issues. One of them is the crass falsification of supposed supply of 50 trucks rice ( 30, 000 thousand bags of rice) as palliative materials to the state. In reality only three (3) trucks of 1800 bags of rice came into the state from the Federal Government through the Ministryof Humanitarian Affairs.
In their effort of discredit the government of Fintiri his traducers have even tried to find fault in the lockdown order meant to control the spread of the disease. In some Instances, their utterances are meant to incite people to flout the order. In the first instance, they claimed that people will die of hunger due to the slump in commercial activities. The thing they fail to comment on is that the government gave ample time for people to stock up their supplies before the lock down. The government ensured that salaries were paid to ease the crunch that the populace of this predominantly civil service state would face.
The spread of this dreaded disease forced the government to declare a regime to lockdown in the best interest of the people so as to avoid the unfortunate instance as is the case in sister states like Lagos, Kano and the Federal capital Territory.
Even this measure that has curtailed the spread of the virus in Adamawa state that should attract encomiums has failed to silence them. On the other hand, they are trying to distract the government abd the people with false accusations of pilfering and corruption without due investigation of the real situation.
It is in the current situation that it has become clear that there are people in the state that are so obsessed with power such that at a critical moment like this instead of joining hands to check the spread of COVID-19 they are occupied trying to distract government by making false accusations and statements that can cause disaffection amongst the populace.
It is therefore imperative that those lying politicians and their cohorts in hostile media houses be ignored. The discerning populace should instead seek for explanations only from reliable sources which Fintiri’s government has always provided on demand.
The best interest of the state can best be served if rumors emanating from such people is not paid attention to since from all indication they mean no good to the good people of Adamawa State as the government will remain focused and continue to do all possible to make sure that the virus does not spread as obtains in other places.
The Fintiri government is on top of the game and God willing, Adamawa will come out successfully despite the wicked machinations of those who want to use the calamitous pandemic to secure cheap political goals.
Adamawa People will instead STAY SAFE so that posterity will have a good laugh after the PANDEMIC and thereafter!!!
George Kushi
Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State
