From Emmanuel Adeyemi Lokoja
Kogi Government has said the number of COVID-19 cases reported from the state by the National Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) was full of inaccuracies and fraudulent and therefore cannot be believed.
The state stated this in a reaction to Monday’s advice by NCDC that travellers should avoid the state which it tagged, “a high risk state for the virus.”
Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, yesterday, said the NCDC was deliberately peddling falsehood to scare investors from the state as the NCDC data was unreliable and inconsistent.
“Despite their unreliable figures, Kogi emerged as the preferred investment destination of Nigeria in the last quarter of 2020. They felt embarrassed and the best way to hit back is to create a picture of health crisis in the state,” he said.
According to him, Kogi was the first state to procure face masks in thousands for distribution to all councils, and was the first to set up a team to combat the spread of the virus.
“We set up isolation centres with state-of-the-art equipment. We have done sensitisation more than any other state. So, if we don’t believe that COVID-19 exists, we won’t be doing all we are doing to ensure it doesn’t ravage our state.
“What we said and still say is that COVID-19 is not worth all the marketing going on just for a few to make billions; that we do not have to suffer innocent Nigerians while a few smile to the banks,” he said.