…considers total lockdown
Governor David Umahi, on Wednesday, said Ebonyi State would not accommodate Almajirai.
He said the state had never had such a group of people any time since its creation.
Umahi disclosed this during his weekly broadcast to update the citizens on the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor maintained that almajirai should go to their respective states of origin.
He also commended his colleagues in the northern part of the country for supporting the idea that almajirai should go to their states of origin.
Umahi, who also frowned on the activities of herdsmen at the state’s Centenary City, directed his chief security officer to ban them from accessing the premises, warning that it was no longer allowed.
The governor said it was insulting to be struggling with cows to come into Government House.
He directed the State Commissioner for Justice to secure court orders for auctioning any cow found within the premises, henceforth.
The Centenary City houses the new Governor’s Lodge, new Governor’s Office, new Presidential Lodge, and all the state ministries and parastatals, CBN, DSS offices, among others.
Umahi stated, “We will not be afraid to say there were no Almajirai in Ebonyi State before now. We will not allow that in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi will not allow almajirai to come. They should go to their states. This is very important. We have to as a people begin to tell ourselves the truth.
“I have directed the chief security officer to meet with security people. Please, I don’t want to see any cow within the premises of the Centenary City. It is an insult. How can I be struggling with cows to come into Government House?
“So, the security people should meet with the people that are rearing cows, whether Igbo or Hausa cows, because I also see some Igbo cows, but I don’t want to see them again. Anyone we see, the Commissioner for Justice should move to court and get order to auction it. So, we will not allow that again.”
Meanwhile, the State government said it would not hesitate to order a total lockdown of the state if the coronavirus pandemic cases continue to rise in the state.
This is even as it noted that those who claimed that the virus was not real were jokers. It said the realities on ground proved that the virus is a reality.
Umahi, who lambasted those saying the disease was a conduit for money making by politicians, urged the residents not to be deceived by social media enthusiasts who took to Facebook and other online platforms to castigate the state government.
While revealing that the state recorded the 13th COVID-19 case on Tuesday, he appealed to Nigerians to take the instructions of the National Centre for Disease Control seriously, in order not to fall victims of the pandemic.
Umahi said, “When the lockdown was there, the cases were coming in trickles and now that the lockdown has been reduced, the cases are coming in a very surprising manner. Nigerians are the ones to advise themselves, either to isolate or be careful.
“And so, I expect another serious lockdown if the cases continue to rise like this. This would be by consensus agreement of the general public. And so, we have to lock down and defeat this monster that is called COVID-19.
“Today, we have a total of 13 cases of COVID-19 in the state. I will give you breakdown and give you details of the 9th to the 13th case. The first treatment centre has a total of 26 facilities and in the next seven days, we would be opening that very wonderful and ultra modern emergency ward that was constructed, which has 300 bed spaces here in Abakiliki, the state capital.
“It doesn’t look like any in this country and I want people to go and look at it. And it means we have to hurry to conclude that work.
“We need to be very careful. A lot of people in Nigeria have taken to the social media. They attack people without knowing it. The problem we have is not journalists, because journalists have their ethics and yes as human beings, they may make mistakes and if you bring it before the attention of their leadership, they would discipline them. But in the social media, everybody is a member and it is the most dangerous thing that is going on now. People now take delight in giving fake information. – Punch.
