By Prof. Maxwell Okoye
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been living up to expectations with his dedicated team. The governor, who is known for spending time in the state to do his works, has not only put the necessary proactive and preventive measures in place to combat the spread of the virus, he has consistently monitored compliance and implementations.
That seems to be responsible for no case of Covid-19 virus infection in the state today. While the residents and people of the state have been cooperative and compliant of these measures against the spread of the scourage in the state, some desperate, compromised and recalcitrant transporters, travellers and security agents are leaving no stone unturned to undermine governor’s efforts. Don’t say I am accusing them. I am not. This is a fact.
Look at the number of vehicles loaded with passengers that were intercepted by the Nigeria Army at their checkpoint at Nsukka and escorted to where they came from. 30 vehicles loaded with passengers. Hmmmm. Who knows how many of these vehicles that were not intercepted before they entered and passed through the state unperturbed, since the closure of the state borders on March 31 by the governor.
Just imagine the desperation and nonchalance of these passengers, who revealed that they trekked through the bush and pathway of Amalla community to Obollo-Afor before boarding vehicles.
Others passengers trekked through the Bonny River in Rivers State to Abia before boarding vehicles. Didn’t these vehicles ply through other states’ borders before entering Enugu? They did because they didn’t fly. This is even when those states had closed their borders like Enugu. So who allowed them to pass? The governors or the people of those states. It is the security agents, whom many have accused before now of seeing this opportunity of states’ border closure to make illicit fund, without considering the grave consequences of their actions. This is condemnable and dangerous.
The insouciance of which some transporters, traders and the security agents, whose core mandate at the states’ closed borders at this point is to ensure that there is no human or vehicular movement in and out, except those on essential duties are handling the situation is troubling and worrisome. It is clear they after the easy and quick money they are making without knowing that they are exposing themselves and others to contracting the deadly Covid-19 virus. They have shown that they are more of saboteurs than security agents they are trained to be.
Now that the state governors under the auspices of Nigerian Governors Forum have agreed for two-week inter-state lockdown as a measure to mitigate the spread of the dreaded virus, it is time for the heads of security agencies both in the states and Abuja to set up a highly professional monitoring or taskforce team to supervise the activities of their personnel at the states’ borders across the country.
Thank God Governor Ugwuanyi has visited Enugu-Benue and Enugu-Kogi borders and is expected to visit other borders of the state in the days ahead to monitor compliance and task security agents to be firm in the discharge of their duties.
Moving forward in the fight against the spread of the virus, I will suggest that time has come when the Federal Government should raise the bar by empowering National Centre For Disease and Control (NCNC) to establish virology laboratory in all the states, local governments and states’ borders in the country. With this, Covid-19 virus diagnosis could be easily and urgently be carried out and handled.
People can go for voluntary diagnosis of the virus to know their status. If the virology laboratory could be put in place in all the local government areas in Lagos in less than one month as reported, why hasn’t it be put in the states across the country by now? If the Federal Government’s reason, which to me is not tenable is that it is because Lagos is the epicentre of the dreaded virus for now, is Federal Government saying they are waiting for other states to become epicentres like Lagos before they can strongly intervened like they have done in Lagos. Then where in practice is the saying that prevention is better than cure.
Now that Kano is gradually competing with Lagos in terms of number of the infected and the State Governor Umar Ganduje is asking federal government for N15b to tackle it, Nigerians are watching to see what Federal Government will do.
Even at this, the fight against this deadly virus should be about collective and collaborative efforts. It is not only about what is the governments are doing and not doing. It is also about what are we are doing or not doing right as individuals, organisations and people of the state.
The state governor or president cannot be everywhere at the same time. It is not possible. They are human beings like me and you. Works and responsibilities are shared morally and constitutionally.
The governments have provided the enabling environment and measures to combat the virus. It is left for every other persons, ranging from the medical personnel, the people and the security agents to complement the government’s efforts so far in the fight. That is the only way the battle against the spread of the virus can be effectively and collectively won and celebrated by all.
Prof. Okoye, a Medical Consultant wrote from Awka, Anambra State
