covid 19: Wike Emotional Outburst Opens The Floodgate For More Donations To Lagos State To Curb The Spread Of The Disease

By Suleiman Umaru

Nyesom Wike , the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governor of the oil rich Rivers state who is  not happy with President Muhammadu Buhari  over the special attention being given to the Lagos state government  since the outbread of the Wuhan Town in Hebei Province of the Asian country of China emerged Coronavirus , appears to have opened the flood gate for more donations to come into the state.

His recent emotional outburst which  was widely published in national Newspapers  and the Social Media, had exposed the state as in need of help to be able to contain the spread of the disease which had spread to 203 countries in the world  infecting the low and the mighty. Note that Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of Britain  is one of the prominent world leaders that had been infected with the disease.

Oladeinde ,Lagos state Commissioner of Transportation, Jamoh NIMASA DG And Rabiu Olowo, Commissioner Of Finance During Presentation of Vessels And Other Items To The State

Of the 254 victims which Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC, had said  contacted the disease  since the outbreak last February in the country, majority of them  were said to have  been in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial hub, Isolation Center Unit, ICU, at Yaba, Lagos Mainland, provided by the state government  to facilitate the Treatment and quick recovery of the victims.

Aware that the deadly disease  which is spreading like wild fire  all over the world  had infected over 3,000 medical and technical  experts resulting in 76,507 deaths , the World Health Organisation, WHO, officials, might have known that at the rate which the disease had spread in Nigeria in the last three months, there might be an explosion in Lagos and the need to take proactive measure to contain it.

Perhaps to prepare the mind of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor  in  handling  the pandemic, the WHO , had donated three Ambulances to the state government. The United Nations, UN, Health agency, officials had said that the gesture was to support  the  government’s effort in curbing the spread of the deadly disease in the state.

The WHO officials, had said that the three Ambulances t donated to  the state would  go  a long way to boost the fight against the spread of the disease in the state. Braka Fiona, a Medical Doctor, and the agency Immunisation Team  leader in Nigeria, who,,  presented the three Ambulances to Sanwo-Olu, the state governor on Tuesday, April 6, 2020 was full of praises for the governor  for  his singular efforts  to curb the spread of the disease in the state .

Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the government of the Federation and  Chairman  of the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID 19, was said to have witnessed the presentation of the vehicles to the Lagos  state government.

In a related Development , Bashir Jamoh, the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, also made  a number of medical equipment and other items including ventilators. Ambulances, buses and Response vessels to the state government in order  to combat the spread of the disease in the state.

Jamoh, the NIMASA, boss  while making the presentations to Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, stated that the agency ” felt it necessary  to present the donations as the state ” remains the center  for the virus in the country”.

 Commenting on the vessels donated to the state, he explained that it would  support it  in responding promptly to accidents in the coastal states for Anchorage evacuation if need be. He disclosed that the “Crew members of the   vessels were volunteer Staff of the agency who had been trained  on manning the first intervention vessels”.

The NIMASA boss, who could not hide his feelings, Commended the Lagos state governor for being proactive in his response to the pandemic. The agency was said to have also presented a cheque of N20 million to the state government to support the fight against the spread of the virus in the state .An appreciative Sanwo-Olu who was overwhelmed by the NIMASA Director General support was short of words.”I simply say Thank You””, he remarked.

The Maritime Regulatory agency appears to have thrown a challenge to other government agencies and private Organisations to support the state, described as the Center of Excellence, to be able to contain the pandemic.

Recall, that Jamoh, the NIMASA, boss, had expressed   appreciation to  the Katsina state born Nigerian President’s timely response  to the deadly disease, stressing that he has created a major  role for the agencies to play  in the fight against the spread of the disease  in the country.

He was said to have singled out the Ihekweazu, led NCDC, over the agency’s efforts in responding to the  evacuation  of infected persons  to the ICUs, across the country to contain the spread of the disease.

Appealing to Media Practioners to play their role  in sensitising the public about the dangers  and the need to keep to the WHO, social distance Rules and Regulatios as well as maintain personal hygiene to curb the spread of the virus which had ccrossed International boundaries, he  maintains that “everyone  has a role to play in the fight against the pandemic””.  

Those who think that the Maritime Regulatory agency may not extend  the same gesture done to to Lagos state to other states in the country’s six -geo-political regions affected  by the pandemic would be disappointed. 

Jamoh, the NIMASA Director General  has made it clear to all that cares to listen that the donations would not be limited only to Lagos, which is in the south west  alone but would be extended to other states in other geo-political regions across the country.

 This  should gladden the heart of Nyesom Wike, the Rivers state governor, who many expect would have raise alarm because NIMASA , has a functional office In Port Harcourt, the state Capital.

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