Joe Effiong, Uyo
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has enjoined journalists in Nigeria to be conscious of their personal safety and that of their family members while propagating the COVID-19 campaign messages.
The publicity secretary of the Party in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Iniobong Ememobong who gave the advice while presenting about 50 hand sanitisers to members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Akwa Ibom State council, explained that journalists were indispensable stakeholders in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
Consequently, Ememobong said journalists need to stay alive to help government sensitise and educate Nigerians on the killer virus particularly its mode of transmission, and how to prevent infection.
He said the sanitizers were however, presented on the platform of his foundation, which had earlier gone on campaign in the villages sensititising the rural dwellers on the need for personal hygiene and safety.
“My appeal is that you stay safe during this period as you go about your duties. Please be conscious of your safety. Remember that in our tradition it is customary for people to respect others by holding water in a bowl for them to wash their hands.
He stressed that no matter the level of preparedness of a state or a nation, prevention remains the best way of fighting the virus.
“The best way of fighting COVID-19 is to prevent it from entering your domain. So we need to push this advocacy; let people believe that it is true. We observed that people don’t comply with social distancing; they don’t even believe in Coronavirus; that is a serious challenge.
“This is a period of unity of purpose, therefore, my appeal is that you must help promote the messages of personal hygiene, washing hand in running water, the practice of social distancing.
“As we speak government is doing its best, but government is not expected to do what citizens should do for themselves, including to practice social distancing and other preventive measures, so help government to push this message of social distancing.”
Ememobong who stressed that there was a need for everybody to be careful over the COVID-19 outbreak, explained that the seven-day lockdown which begins next Monday, would determine if they state would succeeded in curtailing the virus is not.
“There is nothing that government should do that Akwa Ibom government has not done to prevent COVID-19 entering the state; so I can assure you that the government of this state is putting its best in this fight against COVID-19.”