For some businessmen, Covid-19 is about more reagents, more money - Ayade
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers State uses every opportunity that comes his way to say that his state is free for the coronavirus pandemic, despite some views that it could be as a result of insufficient testing. Ayade was at it again last Thursday, May 21,2020 when he appeared on a television programme. He did not only make a boast of the actions his administration is taking to ensure that the state maintains its zerocoronavirus status, but thatthe pandemic has become a full-scale business for some people. He also alleged that the world was using it to exploit Africa and Nigeria in particular.
Speaking on why his state has not conducted random testing as observed in many other states in the country, the governor argued that the test currently being conducted to diagnose the viral disease in the country ‘’lacks reproducibility and reliability’’.
Ayade, a PH.D holder in Environmental Microbiology and a former university lecturer, alsosaid that the COVID-19 pandemic had turned into a full-scale business for some people.
He said a Chinese friend of his residing in Switzerland recently told him that he had made so much money importing reagents out of the Philippines.
‘’Out there in the Western world, there is a businessman fanning all of this, making sure they sell reagents. Indeed, my friend out of Switzerland, a Chinese, says he has made so much money importing reagents out of Philippines and shipping to the world.
“So, it has turned into a full-scale business.
Why will I be testing somebody who has not come in contact with somebody who has caught the virus? I will only test you when I have reasons to, when I have seen symptom,” the governor said.
According to him, “If NCDC continues to lower the criteria just to get more people tested, I begin to wonder because we have to exhaust the entire accounts of this country to be able to support the testing regime.
“I think I cannot follow blindly. I must lead from the front because I am exposed, I am smart and I know what I need.i can tell you, this testing for coronavirus has gone Ecopolitical. In the US for example, it is about the November elections and for some businessmen, it is about more reagents, more money. But for me, it is science, it is reality and because a wrong mentality will give you a wrong reality, I will hold the right mentality. Only contact tracing can help you identify those to be tested. I am a scientist, please’’
He believes that Nigeria is being exploited through the pandemic. When asked to air his view on that, he repeatedly said: “Of course, no doubt about that. No doubt about that at all.”
According to him, “You don’t have to be a scientist to see the loopholes and business elements. Why can’t Nigeria produce her test kits? Why can’t we have our own vaccination plants to produce our vaccines? Nigerians are endowed; very intelligent people by nature.’’
Speaking as though he was in a science class, the governor said: ‘’Malaria and coronavirus share so much in common that for us in Malaria endemic world, we are naturally almost immune to the coronavirus. Even our own temperature here is such that when you sneeze, the virus escapes and it is escaping into hell fire because it can’t stand an atmospheric temperature of 32 centigrade. Sometimes in Nigeria, we do go up to 42 degrees.
“I just sympathise with this our followthe-west syndrome and I think the time has come for us to change that completely. We are really being exploited as a continent. Nigerians are being exploited, Africans are being exploited. We must shut our doors.”
The governor said that Cross River was saved from the scourge of the pandemic by his prompt action. He said that as soon as the coronavirus became real in Nigeria, he ordered complete lockout of the state from others. According to him, all interstate movements were halted and that all entry points to the state, including those that are as insignificant as bush parts, are being manned by designated officials of the state. He also said that all air ways were quickly closed to ensure no flight got into the state.
Ayade further spoke about the compulsory facemask-wearing regime he brought into effect, which according to him has continued to produce positive effects. He recalled that officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), who visited the state, commended the high level of compliance on “No face mask, no movement” order.
Enough of this politics with our lives - Bello
The social media is awash with the comments made by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, saying that the way it was being handled in the country smacks of politics.
He dismissed; “Enough of this nonsense, NCDC is marketing #Coronavirus and destroying our lives. Enough of this #Covid-19 nonsense. 386 new cases? We have played fool enough!”
“And you have discharged 679… What did you give to these ones you discharged? #Covid-19 is a war, and in times of war you get everyone prepared. Tell Nigerians what these ones discharged took and let everyone take it and be safe. Is coronavirus deadlier than Tuberculosis, Sars, Pneumonia, AIDS? Early detection saves the life; tell people how to boost their immune system and stop creating merchants out of Corona. People are dying every day for more serious ailments because they can’t access hospitals. People have diabetes, kidney issues, liver issues, heart diseases, cancer, BP, labour complications, HIV, Brain issues, Lung disease, etc, some need to go to other states to access hospital services… They are dying in numbers and no one is counting them because you are counting Corona,” he said.
“We were told the symptoms of Corona are cough, catarrh, difficulty in breathing, and the mortality rate is very minimal which we have seen in the results NCDC has been releasing.
“These symptoms are things people have been suffering from and we have been managing them well in hospitals here in Nigeria, we have seen people with difficulties in breathing and they were treated. Why are we marketing Corona in Nigeria? Why are we harming ourselves intentionally? Creating fears, hardship and tension on innocent citizens,” he further said.
According to him, “You promised 40,000 testing in one month, and this is almost two months (at the time the statement was made) and you haven’t tested 20,000.
“3000+ active cases and 679 discharged, which confirms mortality is less than 6percent. Why then do you want to kill the entire country with fears?
Do you know how people struggle to survive in this country? Do you know the more hardship you are forcing on people by marketing Corona?
Now we will be forced to open our borders for importation of rice, can foods and all sorts of junks again because we will be running out of food soon, at a time we were almost food sufficient. Enough of this politics that NCDC is playing with our Lives.”
Bello insisted that he did not believe in everything that is being said about the pandemic.
His disposition toward the pandemic has brought him at loggerheads with officials of the NCDC. He said his administration would not bow to pressure to report a case of the contagious respiratory ailment.
Speaking through his Commissioner for Health, Saka Haruna Audu, the governor said that his administration was under immense pressure to announce novel coronavirus cases.
Bello was said to have become enraged when the NCDC insisted that there must be Covid-19 cases in the state, saying that it was lack of testing that may have given the governor false hope.
Fearing that the state may not be safe with such an insinuation, Bello was reported to have chased away staff of the Centre who had visited Kogi to assess the state’s preparedness, facilities and medical procedures.
Bello was reported to have ordered the medical professionals to be isolated for 14 days--the period it takes for COVID-19 to incubate in most patients before symptoms become visible.
In a statement Audu said: “Our Isolation Centres are open for inspection from appropriate quarters and the insinuation by the said report needs not be given any attention.
“The lame notion that all the states surrounding Kogi already have COVID-19 will not cause us to bat eyelids, but rather increase us in conviction that if some other states gave in to pressure, we wouldn’t. We will continue to take samples from appropriate patients and members of the public in line with the laid down principles.”
The commissioner added that Kogiwas prepared to deal with COVID-19 just like it dealt with Lassa fever by promptly reporting cases to the relevant authorities.
“Kogi State had activated a rapid response team since 2017 long before any epidemic was suspected to occur. Our success in investigating and curtailing alleged strange deaths in Okoloke Yagba West L.G.A in Kogi State in 2017 was well commended and applauded by national and international stakeholders.
“The so-called strange disease which was later confirmed to be Yellow Fever was appropriately annihilated with collaboration from our ever-dependable health development partners.
“So much fake news has been peddled about Kogi state and we are no strangers to it. Recently, it was said that 7billion Naira was expended in setting up a marquee isolation center, an amount that is greater than the state’s monthly allocation. How ridiculous!
“Kogi State will not give in to pressure to announce fictitious cases of COVID-19. We will only announce a real case of confirmed COVID-19 when it exists, and we advise our people to strictly follow the state government’s guidelines in the prevention of the disease, for as it stands, Kogi State is officially COVID-19 free!”