Why Edo State Government Must Disclose Obaseki’s COVID-19 Status
Christopher Osa-Uwagie demands that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State concludes his personal COVID-19 procedure transparently
As an interested party and concerned indigene of Edo State, I am working with a NonGovernmental group, Association for Monitoring and Implementation of COVID-19 Policies in Edo state. While, we abhor politicisation of issues concerning human life, we can’t close our eyes to a deliberate campaign of dishonesty in Edo State government’s handling of COVID-19 issues.
The head of the government, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has now exceeded the recommended 14 days in self-isolation, making his health status and fitness a subject of speculation and point of concern.
Therefore, as Protem Coordinator, I am constrained to say that, “across the globe today, in the face of the unprecedented public health crisis and social upheavals caused by the coronavirus disease, governments, irrespective of level, have put aside political concerns and united to offer leadership and direction to their people in a transparent, accountable and organized fashion.
“We are afraid that the Edo State Government, by its recent actions, is sadly not following this example.
“Over two weeks now, Governor Godwin Obaseki has withdrawn self from public view, only to surface days ago in a contrived broadcast where he appeared disheveled and made questionable claims on the preparedness of the state as the number of confirmed cases climbs higher.
“When he rightly embarked on this self-isolation after exposure to the virus in meeting with other government officials who tested positive and disclosed his forwarding of sample to a competent laboratory for test, this responsible decision and transparent disclosures were praised by all, including this campaign organization, in addition to expressed support.
“However, rather than continue on this path of responsible action and transparency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his administration have deviated, turning his testing and result into the subject of official secrecy, while sanctioning the execution of deliberate acts of misinformation and general dishonesty.
“In an instance, on the 26th of March, Crusoe Osagie, the governor’s media aide, announced to the public that a ‘rapid test’ had shown his principal, Godwin Obaseki, to be negative. However, two days ago, possibly in reaction to this politicallydriven statement, the NCDC, through its verified social media channel, specifically Twitter, issued a rebuttal, declaring to the public without equivocation that “there is no validated rapid diagnostic test kit for COVID19.”
“Quoting its statement directly, the NCDC said, “These rapid test kits can provide false results: Do Not Use [the emphasis that of the agency, and a demonstration of its strong discouragement of the rapid tests].
“This leaves us with two conclusions on Obaseki’s choice of a rapid test that has been dismissed by the health agency responsible for the management of the viral disease and Crusoe’s hurried declaration of the same.”