The All Progressives Congress Mandate Defenders has cautioned Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state against making unguarded comments that can expose Nigerians to COVID-19.
Mr. Ifeanyi Emeka, national publicity secretary, APC Mandate Defender described the comments attributed to Mr Bello as childish and pedestrian.
The APC Mandate Defenders said its attention was drawn to the childish, illogical and pedestrian remarks made about the reality of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria by the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello on ‘Sunrise Daily,’ a programme of Channels Television today.
In a statement released to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, the group condemned in strongest terms, the uninformed views expressed by Gov. Bello; casting doubts on the existence of the virulent disease in the country.
The group warned that stakeholders like Gov. Bello must understand, respect and protect the sensitive stakes they hold in the country, instead of making unguarded utterances about what they know nothing about.
This is a governor who said there was no Covid-19 in his state early in the year yet he accepted the N1 billion fund given to each state of the federation by the Federal Government to fight the scourge of Coronavirus in their states as well as improve their healthcare infrastructures.
Whether he used the money for what it was meant for or not is not our business but trying to use pedestrian logic of weather conditions to suggest that Coronavirus does not exist in the country is highly mischievous and unacceptable to families who have lost loved ones to the virus.
If hot weather condition should be his lactobacillus logic for denying the existence of Covid-19 in the country, what then can he say about India, Brazil, South Africa who are on the same tropical region with Nigeria and are among the worst hit countries by Coronavirus?
Of a truth, whether Gov. Bello believes in the existence of Covid-19 or not is not our concern but trying to cast aspersions on certain persons who are risking their lives and have their family members exposed to the dangers of Covid-19 is unacceptable to us.
This is the same governor who denied the existence of Yellow Fever in his state when about 50 persons died of it in Etteh Community in Olamaboro Local Government Area of the state when a lawmaker representing the area in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Ujah Alewo brought the matter for urgent attention before the state assembly.
Instead of raising awareness on risk communication and community engagement in the 239 Wards and 21 Local Governments Areas of his state to avoid community transmission ahead of the coming super spreader events as well as equipping the state to contain the new strain of Covid-19 in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor is busy building castle in the air.
We view his opinion on the second wave of Covid-19 as well as his derogatory remarks on those charged with the responsibility of fighting to contain the second wave of the virus in the country as an attack on Mr. President which has undoubtedly put some question marks on his loyalty to President Buhari.
We therefore advise the general public to ignore Gov. Bello and take personal responsibility for their lives and safety as the reality of the second wave of Covid-19 has dawned on us.
