Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Titus Uba, his son as well as Tertsea Gbiseh, a member representing Kwande East constituency in the House have tested positive for the COVID-19.
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Lubem Tyav, said Uba’s samples alongside those of four other members of the Assembly were taken last Thursday by officials of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for tests and and two of the samples returned COVID-19 positive.
Tyav said members of the Speaker’s household also presented themselves for the test, but that only his last son’s result returned positive, while all others tested negative for the virus.
“According to the result, the Speaker is asymptomatic, but stable, hale and hearty, in high spirit and has since commenced treatment while in self isolation,” he said.
Tyav urged all those who might have had contact with the speaker in the last one week to present themselves for test saying contracting the virus was not a death sentence and that people should not be scared. He disclosed that modalities had been put in place to get all members and staff of the House of Assembly tested for COVID-19 to ascertain their status.
In statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Orientation, Tertsea Gbiseh, has however announced the shut-down of the House of Assembly complex following the confirmation of the Speaker as COVID-19 positive.
“The state legislature will resume plenary when the Speaker determines it is safe to do so under advisement from relevant health workers.
