Desmond Mgboh, Kano, Rose Ejembi, Makurdi, Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi and Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido may have been advised to proceed on self isolation for period of 14 days by the officials of Kano State Task Force on COVID 19 .
It was understood that the former governor, alongside his driver and his orderly, had Thursday last week presented their blood samples for screening to officials of the state task force on COVID-19.
Daily Sun gathered that Lamido was among the sympathisers that attended the funeral of the late mother of a leading political figure at Koki town, in the state capital.
The burial, which also took place last Thursday, was equally attended by the Kano’s index case,
A reliable source told Daily Sun that all those who attended the burial are currently being traced and invited for screening.
The former governor was notified of the proposed screening through a text message from Director, Public Health, Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr. Imam Wada Bello.
It reads: “ Your Excellency Sir, as part of our COVID-19 contact tracing, your name was mentioned among the dignitaries that attended the funeral at Koki’’.
Bello, who is also the Secretary of the state task force on COVID-19 added: “We would like to have your kind permission for our RRT to evaluate your risk and possibly take your sample”.
Lamido, who confirmed the development on his Facebook timeline, added that he had gone through the processes. “It was efficiency at its best”he stated.
Meanwhile, officials of the state Task Force on COVID -19 have been reaching out to scores of persons believed to have had contact with the index case in the state before he was isolated.
These persons included his family members, doctors , nurses and technicians that attended to the index case at the hospital and at the diagnostic centre he visited as well as those he met at the dinner party and at the wedding ceremony that he attended, among others.
Kwara alleges plots to cause civil unrest over lockdown
Kwara State Government, yesterday raised the alarm that it had uncovered plots by some prominent opposition figures to incite the public to protest against the lockdown order in the state.
Commissioner for Communication, Murtala Olanrewaju, in a statement said: “We have an intelligence report that some prominent members of the opposition have perfected a plan to incite the public against the government.
The plot according to him was to incite the people to disregard the directive of the government to stay at home and stay safe at this time of global pandemic.
“Whatever the intent of these people, we warn them to desist forthwith as the government will take every measure to ensure that noone goes against the directive to protect the people from the rampaging virus. Such plot shows that the people behind it cannot distinguish between politics and public safety.”
Olanrewaju urged the people to continue to respect the lockdown directive as failure to do so could prove fatal to the entire population.
“We must avoid anything that may expose all of us to the virus and attendant calamity. We do not want to bury any of our people on account of this pandemic. Anyone who has followed the trend in Europe and the US will understand that this is no time for the kind of politics these people are playing. We urge those behind this dangerous plot to drop it immediately.” he said.
While calling for increased adherence to social distancing and other safety measures, Olanrewaju, who quoted the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said the virus spreads easily from person-to-person when people gathered.
Olanrewaju said the government’s decision to allow people to go out on designated days and time was to allow for restocking of foodstuffs and other essentials since “we cannot afford to feed everybody.”
Benue to review measures
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has promised that the measures put in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state will be reviewed.
Ortom, who made the promise in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, yesterday enjoined the people of the state to exercise patience saying he will meet with the COVID-19 Action Committee tomorrow to review the measures.
The governor, during a state broadcast, had announced the closure of all public places including churches, mosques, markets among others to enable contact tracing and to flatten the curve of the infection rate of COVID-19.
The governor, who appreciated the Benue people for their understanding and cooperation noted that these have significantly complemented the efforts of the tate government against the virus.
“He calls for sustained cooperation from the people in the face of the difficulties the dusk to dawn curfew, closure of markets and other public places might have caused them.
In the same, Ortom will today , attend a joint security meeting of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states scheduled to take place in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
Akase explained that the meeting will among other issues, address renewed violence in border communities of the three states such as last week’s attack on Jootar in Ukum Local Government of Benue State by armed militia.
Igbo medicine dealers donate food items
The Association of Igbo Medicine Dealers, Kano State branch, has donated millions of Naira worth of food items to the state fund raising committee on COVID 19.
The donation included 100 cartons of Indomie, 10 cartons of sanitizers (500ml), 5 cartons liquid soap, 70 packet of disposable gloves, 100 bags of rice and 50 cartons of Marconi among others.
Chairman of the association, Valentine Duru, said that the donation was part of their aspiration to identify with the people of the state in the face of the global pandemic.
Speaking at the handover ceremony held at the Government House, the committee chairman, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, appreciated the gesture of the medicine dealers.
Bello, who is also the Vice Chancellor, Bayero University Kano, lamented that some of the measures initiated by the state to tackle the spread of the pandemic, such as border closure, were likely to cause hardship among the vulnerable members of the society.
“We are praying, however, that more measures should not be taken. We are praying that this pandemic does not come to Kano. That is our prayers” he stated.