Residents within the Calabar Metropolis, the only place in Cross River State where the State Government struggles to impress with scanty display of COVID-19 prevention campaigns and pseudo-remedies, have expressed shock over the disappearance of the COVID-19 Task Force team from the streets of Calabar.
Investigations reveal that members of the State Task Force on COVID-19 Pandemic deserted their duty posts in protest of the non-payment of their allowances and other emoluments, since they commenced this very tasking and important assignment.
It was reported that the State Government has been making many unkept promises concerning payments, yet not even a dime has been received.
It is public knowledge that huge sums of money has been recieved by the Governor Ayade led administration from well-meaning individuals, corporate bodies and the Federal Government. Recently, the State Government got approval from the Cross River State House of Assembly, for the release of 50m naira from each of the 18 LG accounts, amounting to 900m, to help combat the Corona Virus Pandemic in Cross River State.
Few weeks ago, the Governor claimed he had released 500m naira and 20 cars to the State Task Force on COVID-19.
So why is the COVID-19 Task Force Team being starved of their allowances and entitlements?
The Governor, who has not been sighted anywhere in the state in recent time at such a critical time when other governors are on ground in their states to lead this COVID-19 war, earlier boasted that the State Government was going to produce 4.5m face masks and distribute them free of charge to residents. We are also aware that billions of naira will be drawn from our State coffers to cover for this. The question to ask is: how many face masks are being produced and how much of Cross River State money is the Governor taking for the production of “free” Face masks?
By sheer Providence, Cross River State is yet to record any confirmed case of the COVID-19 infection, but what will happen if we eventually do?
Our borders are still very porous.
We do not have ventilators. Some weeks ago, either out of ignorance or mischief, the Commissioner for Health, displayed anaesthetic machines and called them ventilators.
Cross River State has no testing kits and no isolation centres.
It is the clear that the Governor’s only interest is to take advantage of the pandemic and embezzle billions of naira from the state.
Sadly, any public office holder that can be insensitive to such a ravaging pandemic that has infected about 3m people globally, killed hundreds of thousands and poses an existential threat, needs both spiritual and mental therapy.
WAKE UP CROSS RIVER!
We are under siege by the leader we elected!