[dropcap]U[/dropcap]rban poor Nigerians with an account balance of N5,000 or less will be among the beneficiaries of the Federal Government Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk, made this known on Tuesday.
Nigerians who regularly top their mobile phones with between N100 and N200 will also benefit.
The third category of beneficiaries are the daily wage earners as well as people living with disabilities.
The minister, who had earlier updated the president on the activities of her ministry, revealed that those saddled with the responsibility of carrying out president’s directive on expansion of the social register would focus more on the urban poor.
“You are also aware that Mr President in his broadcast yesterday (April 13) has directed that we expand the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer by one million.
“In this regard, we are going to focus more on the urban poor.
“These are people who depend on informal sector to earn their livelihood – They are daily wage earners and these are people we are really going to focus more on as well as people living with disabilities,’’ she said.
The minister further explained that apart from the National Social Register, the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and previous record of purchase of recharge card by mobile phone owners would form parts of criteria in identifying the beneficiaries of the cash transfer
“We are also using the mobile network, people that top up their phones with maybe N100, N200. These are the people we consider to be poor and vulnerable,’’ she added.
She stated that the prospective beneficiaries would be part of the additional one million households approved by President Muhammadu Buhari to boost the nation’s social register.
President Buhari had on Monday in a broadcast directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks.
The president said that the expansion of the social register is part of the palliative measures to address the hardship being experienced by the poor and vulnerable members of the society as a result of the extension of the lockdown order.
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ot on the heels of anticipated resurgence of social activities after the ongoing restriction of movement as part of the containment measures against COVID-19 spread would be the rise in momentum of processes leading to Edo State gubernatorial poll. From the look of things around and within the state, the coming weeks and days promises to be interesting times for incumbent Godwin Obaseki, who has not hidden his determination to seek and secure a second term in office, as governor of Edo State.
But for the intrusion of COVID-19 anxieties, the state would have been embroiled in the contentious issue of what method to adopt for the governorship primary earlier scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At the build up to last month’s botched meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, Governor Obaseki had convened a meeting of South-South leaders, ostensibly to pencil a likely replacement for the embattled national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Within that period, when it seemed so probable that Oshiomhole was on the verge of losing his stake as the national chairman, Obaseki exulted in his new role as the giant-killer and leader of change-makers in the ruling party.
Obaseki’s allies and foot soldiers, both at the national and state levels, mobilized efforts in the South-South zone to fine-tune strategies aimed at ensuring a seamless exit of Oshiomhole from office as national chairman during the planned meeting, both of the national caucus and NEC. Some prominent stakeholders of the party from the South-South, including the former governor of Rivers State, now Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, were said to be involved in the search for Oshiomhole’s replacement to ensure that the position did not elude the zone.
Although supporters of Oshiomhole, particularly members of Edo Peoples Movement (EPM) and APC National Vice Chairman, South-South, Mr. Hillard Ntufam Eta, warned stakeholders in the zone to stay away from the meeting scheduled for Benin City, investigations by The Guardian showed that the meeting later proved to be the undoing of Obaseki’s camp.
Sources within the party, which pleaded anonymity to respect the reconciliation efforts in the party, disclosed that by insisting that Oshiomhole’s prospective successor come from South/South, the Obaseki camp lost the strategic buy-in of crucial northern stakeholders in the ‘Oshiomhole-Must-Go’ plot.
“We expected that they should have nominated a former governor from the north to support the argument that Oshiomhole’s replacement was a stop-gap meant to reconcile the various points of disagreement in the party,” the source explained. “When we confronted them with the riskiness of their gamble, the South/South stakeholders told us that their people would not be happy with them for throwing away a position zoned to them. At that point we did not have sufficient argument to put across during the meeting with the presidency.”
It would be recalled that the South/South national vice chairman, Eta, had argued in a statement he issued to denounce the meeting, saying that Obaseki was not vested with the party’s constitutional powers to call a meeting of zonal leaders. Etta disclosed that the political leader in the zone, “the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, is not aware of any such meeting. So we are calling on all our leaders not to attend any such meeting because it is ill-conceived and ill-motivated.
“At this point in time, we are focusing on how to strengthen our great party under the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole and not to destabilise the party.”
With the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, through the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, a cessation of hostilities was ordered, just as the NEC meeting was adjourned indefinitely to pave way for a healing process under Oshiomhole’s charge alongside the Chief Bisi Akande committee.
Although the semblance of an atmosphere of ‘no-victor-no-vanquished’ was created through the presidency’s intervention, parties to the disagreement seem to have taken the development as a mere postponement of the showdown.
Back to the trenches
The mutual suspicion and antagonism have continued between the main gladiators, notably Oshiomhole and Obaseki, culminating in a recent meeting of leaders of EPM, where plans to ensure that the incumbent does not get APC’s ticket on a platter were explored. Sources at the meeting confided in The Guardian that after examining scenarios that preceded governorship primaries in certain states where the party’s tickets were subjects of hot contention, it was agreed by majority of those in attendance that the Gulak option seemed more potent.
Some of the states where APC had contentious gubernatorial primaries included Lagos, Zamfara, Bayelsa and Imo States. While in the instance of Lagos State the incumbent was denied a second term ticket through the political cleverness of some powerful chieftains, in Imo attempts by the then outgoing governor Rochas Okorocha to impose his son-in-law gave rise to what the Edo Peoples Movement now refer to as the Gulak treatment.
It was gathered that of the two options considered in the meeting held in the home of a governorship aspirant, the Gulak option was preferred so as to “ensure that Obaseki does not feature on the ballot.”
Signs that Governor Obaseki’s second term ticket would be the major cause of renewed confrontation emerged when the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, Senator Lawal Shuaibu told reporters after he was readmitted to the National Working Committee NWC meeting that Obaseki was APC’s strongest candidate for the Edo State governorship election.
Shuaibu, who has the support of APC’s state governors, has been the arrowhead of the internal disagreements within the NWC, especially after he wrote the highly inflammable letter charging Oshiomhole of high handedness and lack of capacity to lead the ruling party. It was gathered that most of the first term governors are united in the demand for Obaseki to be handed the party’s ticket without contest in line with agreements at the presidency.
But, sources at the recent Benin meeting resolved that since there is nothing like automatic ticket in APC constitution, Obaseki should be made to face the party faithful during the governorship primary.
In the alternative, Oshiomhole’s supporters were said to have insisted that the only way Obaseki could get an affirmative primary is for him to accede to a set of demands, which the source disclosed were not different from those set out by the immediate past Deputy Governor, Hon. Pius Odubu, during the victory rally in support of Oshiomhole after the reprieve from the presidency.
While declaring that March 16, 2020 as “a day of victory for justice, due process and the rule of law,” Odubu had stylishly reeled out what they considered as Obaseki’s sins against APC stakeholders. After recalling the alleged decision of Obaseki to scuttle his appointment as board chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Odubu declared that the last straw was “the attempt to remove the national chairman of APC.”
He had stated further: “It started with the illegal midnight inauguration of the 17th of June, 2019 where majority of our members-elect were excluded from inauguration and till today they have not been inaugurated.
“He thereafter proceeded to the harassment and attack of party members who are not disposed to his second term bid. Even the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was not spared as he has been attacked severally both in Benin City and in his hometown, Iyamho.”
Apart from the adoption of the Gulak approach to displace Obaseki, it was also gathered that the other highlight of the meeting was a call on the four prominent APC governorship aspirants, including Dr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Odubu, Gen Charles Aihiavhere and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iymau to harmonise their ambition to ensure the emergence of a consensus candidate to face Obaseki at the primary.
However, special adviser to Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, dismissed the tantrums of the ‘dissidents’, stressing that Odubu “has remained a frontrunner in the factionalisation of Edo State Chapter of APC,” maintaining that it behooved the national chairman, Oshiomhole, to be guided by the tenets of the peace efforts by Mr. President and the party.
State’s party chairman, Mr. Anselm Ojezua, did not take his calls or reply to messages sent to his GSM phone on the implications of the plan to deny Obaseki a second term ticket through the dubious Gulak option.
Story courtesy of the Guardian except the headline
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Covid-19 continues to spread in the kingdom, prayers will continue to take place at home, not in mosques.
Muslims will only be permitted to pray at home in Saudi Arabia during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi minister of Islamic affairs announced on Monday. This will remain the case until the coronavirus pandemic ends worldwide.
Since 19 March, group prayers at mosques have been suspended in an attempt to contain the outbreak, a measure set to continue according to the minister, Abdul Lateef al-Sheikh.
Sheikh said the daily obligatory prayers observed by Muslims are more important than taraweeh prayers in Ramadan, adding that the instructions to stay home were in line with advice from the health ministry.
“The suspension of performing the five daily prayers at mosques is more important than the suspension of taraweeh prayers. We ask Allah the Almighty to accept taraweeh prayers whether held at mosques, or homes, which we think is better for people’s health,” Sheikh told local media.
[dropcap] S[/dropcap]enator Ifeanyi Okowa , the Executive governor of Delta State on Tuesday briefed Deltans on the latest development on the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state. Grassroots Publishers Online brings to you eight things you should known from Governor Okowa state-wide broadcast.
Okowa Extends Lockdown In Delta By Two Weeks
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa during the state-wide broadcast on Tuesday extended the lockdown in the state by two weeks. He said the extension will help in identifying and tracing those who had contact with confirmed cases.
Read him, “Having taken cognizance of the health scale of the number of cases nationally, standing at 343 as at today spread across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory and the need to ease the process of contact tracing, the stay-at-home order has become more necessary for the safety of our people and to enable us track, identify, isolate and test all contacts. By the powers vested on me in line with the Quarantine Act and the subsequent Infectious Disease Regulation 2020, I hereby extend the stay-at-home order for another period of two weeks.
We do know that this will cause some pain for our people, but this is for the public good and for the interest of our health. I want to urge all Deltans to please observe the Stay-at-home order. We believe that in the next two weeks, we would be able to track all contacts, identify all possible cases and be able to take the needed actions and then we would be able to use this next opportunity to also produce enough quantity of face masks for our people. It is our hope that we would be able to return to duty thereafter praying to God that the cases in Nigeria will not escalate beyond what we have at the moment.
Okowa Imposes Dusk-To-Dawn Curfew In Delta
The governor in the broadcast also imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the state to enforce further restriction of movement in the evening beginning from Wednesday April 15, 2020.
Okowa said, “We have also observed that because the law enforcement agents tend to slow down in the evenings, there are people who have been moving around even to beer parlours. Some beer parlours and other businesses have started to open to the public in the evenings.
“Because of that, I want to now take action to be able to stop the process of escalating infection transmission. Therefore, I am going to direct the Commissioner of Police to ensure that as from 7pm-7am, nobody is expected to be seen outside.
“A dusk-to-dawn curfew is hereby imposed with effect from tomorrow (Wednesday) until the next 14 days. Only persons on essential duties are exempted. We have previously given a list of those on essential duties.”
Okowa Bans Daily Food Markets, Says Food Markets Should Hold Monday, Wednesday and Friday
However, Governor Okowa has banned food markets from holding everyday across the state in a bit to checkmate the spread of the virus and movement of persons for two weeks.
He noted that the makeshift Food Markets established in public schools and open places will now hold on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays across the state.
He directed council chairmen across the state to enforce the new directive and ensure that social distancing in the food market are complied.
“I want to ask that our local government council chairmen with their various teams will ensure that all former markets are closed and that food markets are open in the primary and secondary school fields and that they must ensure that there is social distancing and to ensure that it means that we have to try to open as many branches in the primary schools and secondary schools that are available and when we do not have enough of this available please look out for open spaces and cause temporary markets to be open in such places.
“You must also create a team to ensure that the social distancing is observed. Because people have continued to use the opportunity of the opening of food markets to loiter around, we have decided that this temporary food markets will only be opened on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays only. I believe that this is doable!”
Delta Begins Mass Production Of Face Masks For Free
Okowa also stated that the state government has commenced mass production of face masks for Deltans for free. He urged residents of the state to use the face masks whenever they are going out while also observing the social distancing and hand sanitizing/washing.
According to him, “The Delta state government has gone ahead to start the production of face masks but this time the one made with a cloth. We are trying to produce a few hundreds of thousands of face masks and this face mask will be distributed free of charge to all Deltans.
“The good thing about the face mask is that just as you wash your hands with soap and water, you can also wash the face mask on a daily basis with soap and water if you want to use it and you are going out. And that will definitely reduce the risk of infection. It is our hope that the distribution of the face mask will start by the end of this week and we would continue to distribute the face mask as much as we able to produce. “
Distribution Of Palliatives From Food Bank Begins On Thursday
Governor Okowa further stated that distribution of palliatives from the food bank set up by the state government is billed to commence on Thursday, assuring that the distribution will be apolitical on unit and ward basis across the state.
He said, “We have also put in place a food bank. We are getting the last stock of the initial order and by the special grace of God in the next 42-72 hours, food would be sent across to support to those who do not have access to food in all wards of the state. We will use the federal wards as a means to distribution concerning this. It’s to all Deltans and should not be restricted to party politics.
“I also want to use this opportunity to thank all those who have made donations to our various accounts and those who have made donations in kind to the food bank. And I want to also encourage all Deltans to continue of assist the poor, we will remain accountable and we will ensure that the monies and food items donated are put into proper use.
“We have accounts as at today Zenith bank, Sterling Bank and also UBA. You can pay money to any of those accounts and I am sure there is a means through which those bank accounts are been communicated to us. Then for those who want to get further information, you can make enquiries from the office of the SSG or the Commissioner for Health.”
Delta To Pay Health Workers On COVID-19 Frontline Daily Allowance
Speaking further, Okowa disclosed that the state government would communicate to health workers by end of Tuesday the amount the state will pay health workers on the frontline of duty in the state.
“I want to reassure that both our health staff and the auxiliary staff that they would be adequately remunerated in the course of their duty.
“We are working out the details, I had a teleconference meeting with my team yesterday (Monday) and I assure that by the end of today we would be able to communicate to the health staff the amount of money that would be paid on a daily basis for the work that they do.
“We must appreciate them for their great work and commitment because they are in the line of duty for the good of each and every one of us.”
70 Persons Who Had Contact With Dead COVID-19 Case, Others Identified
Meanwhile, Governor Okowa has disclosed that the state government has identified 70 contacts who allegedly had contacted with the three confirmed cases of the CIVID-19 including the pastor who died of the virus at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara.
“Three cases have thus far been identified in Delta State. Unfortunately, we lost one of the cases and that case did present very late at our Oghara centre and the patient had other ailments and that led to the death of the patient. In fact, the test result came out positive after the patient had passed away.
“We want to assure you that we have continued to do contact tracing. 70 contacts have been identified, 46 of them have actually been reached and we are still doing our best to get the remaining 24. Some persons have been isolated in their homes in what we refer to as self-isolation that is when the officials involved have been able to get the satisfaction that such persons can truly be isolated in their homes. But some other persons that could not be isolated in their homes, they are currently being isolated in three different centres.
“We have two cases that are active. One is being managed at the Oghara centre i.e the Delta State University Teaching Hospital — and one also is being managed at our Infectious Disease Centre at Asaba. Both persons are doing very well”, the governor added.
Warri Isolation Centre To Officially Take Off Today
The governor also disclosed that the four isolation centres in the state including the one situated at Warri Central Hospital have been well equipped to take patients.
According to Okowa, the Warri centre will officially take off today (Tuesday).
Read him, “We have 4 treatement centres on the whole; the Infectious Disease Centre built by the Delta State Government at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, the Asaba Specialist Hospital which currently is our biggest centre, the Delta State University Teaching Hospital Oghara is the third and the centre at the Warri Central Hospital will come on stream fully, today (Tuesday).
“All these centres also have isolation facilities and we have tended to create the isolation centres in such a manner that people will not cross infect others. And that is why we are using the single room option for the isolation of suspected cases until they rest positive. We have 12 holding centers across the state and medical staff have been trained in all these holding centres.
“I want to advise our people, that COVID-19, yes it is a viral illness, that has continued to ravage the world, but it is not a death sentence. Many of the cases are mild and many of them have recovered. As at today, we are aware that there are only 10 deaths in Nigeria even when we have 343 cases already confirmed in Nigeria.
“I therefore want to urge our people to avoid all forms of stigmatisation and the best cooperation we will have from the people will help those who may fall ill to truly identify themselves for the best interest of the people.
“Anyone could be exposed, anyone could be infected. Both the high and the low, the rich and the poor. So it is for all of us to continue to obey the rules and praying also that God will intervene in the situation in our State, in our nation and the world over. We want to reassure you that health personnel have been trained and they are very proactive.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank all our health staff which includes the doctors, the nurses, the laboratory scientists, the pharmacists and other health staff that have been trained. They are all in good spirits and are committed to their duties.”
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Chairman of the CPU Foundation, a Civil Engineer, who refers to himself as a “Bricklayer” Engr. Philip Chukwumah Ugbomah, has urged Deltan Youths to obey the restriction of movement order declared by the state government. Reacting to media reports that the Sit-At-Home order was not being observed 100% in Delta State, Engr. Philip Chukwumah Ugbomah charged people of Ndokwa East local government area and Deltans not to flout any State government directive on the control of the spread of the deadly Corona virus.
He reminded the people that government’s action was for the best interest of all,stressing that flouting the order was a show of ignorance of the negative effects of the Corona virus pandemic presently ravaging the world.
Engr.Philip Chukwumah Ugbomah, has described youths as key to effective implementation of the stay at home order by the Delta State government to check the spread of Covid-19.
Ugbomah in a telephone chat with Grassroots Publishers online, said, youths as active members of society, could do a lot in influencing government policies and programmes, stressing their support and cooperation could ensure the successful implementation of the lockdown in the state.He said Covid-19 had proven not to be respecter of age, status, religion or nationality and the youths of Delta should encourage government to win the war against the virus by ensuring total compliance with the lockdown in their localities.
While saying that the lockdown was in the interest of all, the Chairman of the CPU Foundation maintained that the success or failure of the stay at home order depended largely on the youths and advised them to lead the strict enforcement of the order to curtail the spread of Covid – 19 in the state. He regretted that few cases of Covid-19 had been recorded in the state, which called for increased vigilance on the part of the people to avoid further spread, even as he said people should watch out for the symptoms of fever,cough and respiratory problems, report suspected cases to appropriate health authorities and avoid gatherings, contact with the sick or returnees from foreign countries, among other precautionary measures.
Ugbomah commended the state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, for the proactive and other measures taken to contain Covid – 19 in Delta state and for the palliatives put in place to minimise the impact of the stay at home order on Deltans, particularly the down trodden.
Engr. Philip Chukwumah Ugbomah Chairman, CPU Foundation
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a bid to help cushion the effect of the proactive and preventive stay-at-home order by His Excellency Governor Ifeanyi Okowa aimed at curbing the spread of Corona Virus pandemic in Delta State, the CPU Foundation yesterday
continued the distribution of food items such as bags of rice, 2 cows, cartons of indomie, and cash support to residents in Aboh, Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State.
The gesture which is aimed at the most vulnerable within the Aboh community, according to the Chairman of the CPU Foundation, a Civil Engineer, who refers to himself as a “Bricklayer” Engr. Philip Chukwumah Ugbomah, is to cushion the economic effects of the stay-at-home directive.This second batch was Sponsored by Engr Kingsley Ogwu, CEO, Exulted Eagles Solar energy and Inverter,a true son of Aboh Kingdom. He explained that the gesture was to further encourage people to stay at home to curtail the spread of the disease, and also for the Easter celebration. He appealed to the of the community,to identify the most vulnerable in the kingdom and ensure the food items got to them.
Engr. Philip Chukwumah Ugbomah called on the people to strictly adhere to government’s directives on restriction of movement as the only known cure of the dreaded Corona virus for now was to stay safe.
Ugbomah commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his swift response to unfolding events on Covid 19, stressing that the proactiveness of the State Central Committee on Managing and Containing the Coronavirus pandemic led by the Governor had helped to check the spread of the virus in the state.
He appreciated the love of God for Deltans, particularly the people of Aboh Kingdom and prayed that the Covid 19 pandemic currently ravaging the world be brought to an end.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ssociation of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria ,Delta State Chapter (ACNPN) has call for an urgent and drastic measure to tighten the enforcement of the stay – at – home order in Delta State. The 14 day lockdown which has compelled residents to remain in their homes progresses, the strict enforcement of the order is gradually fizzling out. A drive round Asaba, the state capital, by our ACNPN monitoring team, revealed that security operatives manning the check points were no longer as committed to enforcing restriction of movement as they were at the start of the lockdown seven days ago.
Many of the check points were without security presence about 5pm when our monitoring team went round town and vehicles were seen driving pass them without check.
At Koka junction, on the Benin – Onitsha expressway, the check point was open to motorists and the operatives, who were detailed to man the post were sighted relaxing under a nearby shade.
The situation was the same at St. Bridges Road, DBS junctions on Summit and Okpanam roads where motorists were also seen driving freely pass the check points without the presence of security personnel.
Motorists and pedestrians also had unhindered movement at the check points at NTA junction, opposite the Stephen Keshi stadium, the Ogbeogonogo market axis, traffic light round about, opposite Police A Division and Akpu junction.
Some tricycles and motorcycles were sighted with passengers within short distances, having taken advantage of the absence of security personnel on the roads.
Many people were also seen trekking long distances to the temporary markets set up by government in parts of the stats capital for the sale of perishable goods.
By 5pm, all the road blocks had been dismantled for people to enter the streets to resume their activities for the remaining part of the day.
If the current situation is anything to go by, it is obvious that the lockdown would collapse before the 14 days set by government.
This calls for an urgent and drastic measure to tighten the enforcement of the stay – at – home order, failing which the consequence could be inimical to the fight against the corona virus in Delta state..
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ounder of Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has backtracked on his claim that the introduction of 5G networks was responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.
Oyakhilome had alleged that 5G — the fifth generation of wireless communications technologies supporting cellular data networks — was initiated to facilitate a “new world order”.
He had argued that the coronavirus pandemic was created to instil fear among people in actualising the alleged agenda and that the 5G technology was an initiative of “the Anti-Christ”.
The comments generated heated debate among Nigerians, with Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre, Matthew Ashimolowo, criticising pastors, who he did not name, for presenting false information with respect to the pandemic.
But Oyakhilome, in a video shared on social media on Sunday, stated that he was only opposed to the initiative because of its perceived health risks and the seeming silence of authorised regulators to address its advantages and disadvantages.
He said, “I have to look at my calling as a priority and I’m into the healing ministry. You may be a pastor or a minister and not be into the healing ministry, this may not concern you. I’m a science and technology enthusiast. I love technology.
“Just studying the capabilities of the 5G makes me, like, ‘Wow! I’d like to go on it like tomorrow morning. I’d like to start it right away.’ But at the same time, I’m into healing, I know what it means for people to be sick. I meet with sick people all the time. And so, no matter how interested I am in the 5G, I’m going to put health first.
“Are there health risks? What are the health implications? Those are my concerns and I became even more concerned when I found out that regulators didn’t seem to care much in looking into the details and the cause of the independent scientist and experts, medical doctors.”
Oyakhilome said, though he would love to go on the 5G network within hours if they rolled it out, it was important that all its health risks be understood and the challenges are fixed.
“If there are health risks, they should be fixed. We want to go on extraordinary technology but we must also consider all the health implications. That’s my point,” he added.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Executive Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has threatened to apply strifer measures to check disobedience of the state government’s directives on the lockdown in the state over the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is at the backdrop of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announcement on Tuesday that a confirmed case of the virus had been recorded in the state, the first.
In a broadcast in Asaba on Wednesday, Okowa commended Deltans who had strictly adhered to the lockdown regulations from April 1, 2020, but warned that enabling laws would be applied on those disobeying the directives of sit-at-home.
He expressed appreciation to all Deltans and non-Deltans in the state for their cooperation, saying “we are on day 8 of the lockdown and I know that a lot of our people have been cooperating with the directive of the government.
“Unfortunately, a few persons have tended to disobey orders and I want to urge every Deltan that from today onwards until the 14 days, to please, for the sake of everyone, for the sake of humanity, obey the orders of government, otherwise, they will be caught up by the arms of the law.
“The lockdown order was given because it was necessary; it is also lawful, because, I have already signed into law a regulation which empowers us to take action against those who would disobey the lockdown order.
“I want every Deltan to appreciate that it is for the good of the public; for all Deltans who have cooperated with us, I have sent messages of encouragement; I thank them.”
The governor announced that the State recorded its index case of the pandemic on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, and that the patient had already been moved into one of the four management centres of the virus in the state.
According to him, the person in question has been in Delta for some weeks, so, he did not just come in from another state during the course of the lockdown.
Okowa said, “at the moment, we are doing our tracking; we are getting more information on the case and when we have more information we would be able to communicate to the state, but, it is the right of that person only to be able to publicly tell us that he or she is infected.
“It is not for me to release the name; it is for me to pass information that needs to be passed to Deltans but, the person did not come from another state, he has been within the state in the last few weeks.
“I also want to use this opportunity to appeal to all Deltans to pray for our health staff and to support them to succeed.
“For those of us that have been watching the television, we can see that a lot is being done by other countries to encourage the health staff and there is a need to support them and to pray for them at this moment when they are very likely going to be overworked and exposed.
“By God’s grace, we are very prayerful and we hope that none of our health staff will ever contract the virus.”
“To our health staff, I want to make a very special appeal; this is the time for all health staff, particularly those trained and those that may be called up in the future for training and support, to please show all commitment and passion that is needed for the state and for all of us to win this battle.
“For the doubting Thomases, COVID-19 is real; it is not for the rich or the poor; it could affect anybody and I will appreciate it if all Deltans would have this at the back of their minds that anybody and everybody is vulnerable—both the old and the young are vulnerable.
“I want to urge us all to continue to observe the rules that we have put forth—washing of the hands regularly with soap and water, and when that is not immediately available, use hand sanitisers as it is important that we stress the need for social distancing by trying as much as possible to be about 6 feet apart from the next person.
“We must try to refrain from using our unwashed hands to touch the eyes or the mouth or the nose because if your hand is already contaminated, it is an easy way of getting the virus into your system.
“For those who have cough, please, stay at home and if you need to cough, cough into your bended elbow and if you cannot do that, get a piece of tissue and cough closing your mouth; that tissue must be immediately discarded and your hands must be washed.
“For those who feel sick or having a fever or cough or you feel breathless or unable to breathe, it is important that you do not hide yourself at home; call the numbers we have released to each and every one of us and those numbers have also been released to all our council chairmen.
“The numbers are 08031230480, 08031230481, 08031230528, and 08031230529; you can call any of these four numbers and you will be directed on what to do.
“And, in the absence of those, call your local government council chairman who will be able to direct you appropriately or call your councillor, who have been instructed by the council chairman and they will also direct you on what to do.
“You may also call your doctor, but, we want to urge that for those who have the symptoms, including fever, cough and breathlessness, as much as possible, it is best to call these numbers or any of these persons.
“If you know the executive secretary of your local health authority in the council or the disease surveillance officer, call them because, we do not want patients just running in to every private clinic or medicine shop who may not be able to manage you or know exactly what to do,” he added.
The governor urged private clinics, to contact government officials, including the Commissioner of Health and local government chairman or the disease surveillance officer or the executive secretary in charge of the local health authorities when anyone with the symptoms reached them.
According to him, there is a process for management, there is a process for notification and it is actually unlawful for any private hospital or public hospital to have a case or a case that looks like that of Covid-19 and decide to probably keep quiet over it or to hide it.
“You must communicate to the appropriate authorities,” he stated.
Okowa advised the people to use facemasks, saying “yes, a lot of argument have been going on about this, but there is also a lot of support from the various countries that have had several cases of the Covid-19.
“In the course of management, these countries have found that the use of facemasks would likely limit the transmission and reduce the transmission chain.
“In Delta, we are already in the process of producing facemask for our people and when produced in the next few days, we would progress to distribute to our people, free of charge.
“We have also started a food bank, and by the grace of God, in the next few days when we have been able to get enough, we would be moving the food to support our people in the various villages, towns and wards of the state.
“We want to thank all Deltans that have made contributions; thus far.
“There are three bank accounts that have been opened for those who want to support our activities as a state concerning Covid-19 and it is my prayer that as many that think the need to support the less-privilege, please do make your contributions whether big or small.
“I must truly thank our people who have made a lot of commitment and those who have already fulfilled their commitments; a lot of Deltans have made donations and very soon, we would be publishing the names of all those who have supported us in the course of raising the food bank.”
He said that the pandemic was not a “death sentence” but cautioned that such did not mean that it should be taken carelessly.
The governor also called on the peopleant to stop all forms of rumour mongering about the pandemic, especially in the social media.
He said it was unfair to say things when we knew that they were not true.
According to Okowa, there has been a lot of insinuation concerning the fact that a member of the House of Assembly of Delta has contracted this infection; that is not true.
“No member of the House of Assembly has contracted Covid-19; it is important that I put the records right, but whosoever that contracts it, it is not a death sentence neither should any person be stigmatized in any form.
“All we owe such persons is to pray for them for speedy recovery.
“As at today, we have four management centers and each of the centers also has its isolation wards; we have holding centers in several other places where persons who are initially suspected to have contracted the virus can be kept.
“The centres are at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, built by the state, the Central Hospital, Asaba, Oghara Teaching Hospital, and the Warri Central Hospital.
“All those that need to be trained – doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, drivers, cleaners and all other persons that would be needed in the case management, including pharmacists, have been trained and if the need arises, we will train more persons.
“We are confident as a state that the mercies of God and his grace is sufficient for us; it is a time for prayers for our families, it is a time for prayers for Delta State, it is a time for prayers for our nation Nigeria and for the world generally,” he said.
[dropcap] H[/dropcap]on. Ndudi Elumelu ,The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to adopt an even disbursement and distribution of palliative funds and other essential materials to all states of the federation to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The opposition lawmakers in a statement issued by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, on Wednesday warned that “the current selective approach adopted by the Federal Government in allotting aids to states is unacceptable and counter-productive to the overall national efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic and effectively check its spread”.
According to the lawmakers “the selective approach is already sending wrong signals, fuelling avoidable divisiveness, allegations and counter-allegations of political and sectional marginalization in the polity and such must be checked immediately”.
Elumelu urged the Federal Government to note that “Nigerians are united in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and anything that will divide them at this moment must be avoided.
“The Federal Government should bear in mind that the social and economic challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic cut across all the states of the federation. It affects all Nigerians because they operate under the same economy and lockdown directives. Therefore, the selective approach in dissemination of aids and palliatives is not in the best interest of our nation. It will only send a very wrong signal and exacerbate the situation.
“What is expected at the moment is an even distribution of aids and palliatives to all states of the federation in a manner that extensively addresses the needs of the masses at this critical time”
Elumelu however commended the contributions of well-meaning citizens as well as the organized private sector in the national effort to check the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
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[dropcap]U[/dropcap]rban poor Nigerians with an account balance of N5,000 or less will be among the beneficiaries of the Federal Government Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk, made this known on Tuesday.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Covid-19 continues to spread in the kingdom, prayers will continue to take place at home, not in mosques.
[dropcap] S[/dropcap]enator Ifeanyi Okowa , the Executive governor of Delta State on Tuesday briefed Deltans on the latest development on the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state. Grassroots Publishers Online brings to you eight things you should known from Governor Okowa state-wide broadcast.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ssociation of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria ,Delta State Chapter (ACNPN) has call for an urgent and drastic measure to tighten the enforcement of the stay – at – home order in Delta State. The 14 day lockdown which has compelled residents to remain in their homes progresses, the strict enforcement of the order is gradually fizzling out. A drive round Asaba, the state capital, by our ACNPN monitoring team, revealed that security operatives manning the check points were no longer as committed to enforcing restriction of movement as they were at the start of the lockdown seven days ago.
