ENUGU COVID-19 OUTBREAK: BLAME THE POLICE, RECALCITRANT CITIZENS NOT GOV. UGWUANYI by Sullivan Edeani


Comr. Sullivan Edeani

Lately, I have found myself deliberately and unintendedly with a number of Enugu residents who out of misinformation or underwritten resentment lay censures on the executive governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his administration for the increasing number of   Coronavirus cases in Enugu State.

As at today, Enugu has a cumulative number of 12 confirmed cases,  2 discharged, with 0 casualties and remains one of the states in Nigeria with nominal cases but notions and eavesdroppings from those quarters reveals that they are either misguided, oblivious or less concerned of the salient sabotage by the security agencies and unpatriotic citizens on the proactive measures taken by the state government to curtail the Coronavirus outbreak to its barest minimum.

Such policies embarked by the government are and not limited to;

A. Designating Enugu State Medical Diagnostic center Okpala Avenue Enugu as an Isolation and treatment Centre to expand capacity to tackle the pandemic should the state experience a proliferation of the disease.

B. Provision of 100 modern hospital beds with mattresses, pillows, and beddings; 100 drip stands; 100 bedside lockers; 100 overbed tables and 100 ward screens, among others.

C. The proactive administration led by governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has also in the wake of the pandemic “quickly constituted a robust and well-resourced multi-sectoral rapid response team, activated the emergency operation center (EOC) and established three isolation and treatment centers” in Enugu and Nsukka.

D. Shutting down of all educational institutions and public ministers with the work from home strategy,
 E. Directing all public transport operators in the state to observe social and physical distancing: tricycle riders should not convey more than two passengers, commuter buses not more than two passengers pers, eat, and city cabs not more than three passengers.
F. Ban of all social and cultural gatherings in the state.

G. Shutting down of nonessentialtial Markets in the state.

H. Public orientation on conshandwashing ing with soap and water, alcohol-based based hand sanitizer.

I. Directing all local government chairmen to distribute COVID-19 palliative, 

J. Personal monitoring of the state boundaries by the state governor, which saw last night in our border even with heavy rain.

K. Constant meeting with religious leader compliance. 

L. Establishment of On the radio studies for Enugu pupils.

Sadly, The Security agencies especially the Nigerian Police Force who have it as a sense of responsibility to implement the Interstate travel ban of the federal and state government, which aimed at curtailing the novel pandemic spread and protecting the lives of Ndi Enugu has a long history of corruption.

The police which holds a known record as the most corrupt institution in the country has renewed its corrupt strategy to cash in from the pandemic against the public interest.

According to a survey by  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)  "a bribe is paid in 54 percent of interactions with the police. In fact, there is a 63 percent probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he or she interacted with the police. That is almost two out of three." 

This increasing rate of corruption does not only have an effect on the internal insecurity of the federation but encourages injustice and human right abuses through the loss of lives by their extrajudicial killings, arrest and illegal detention of citizens but has exacerbated lately as they now receive monetary payoffs from defiant motorists who convey people from the various epicenters to Enugu state, thus sabotaging the proactive measure of the Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led administration 

Just after the report and subsequent discharging of the first 2 index cases In the state, (; the London traveling citizens) which led to the eventual closure of interstate verges, One would assume that all hands would be on deck by both the populace and the security agencies who guard the interstate routes through the various highway checkpoints to enforce compliance of the lockdown order in obedience to the federal government, NCDC and the state ministry of health for the best interest of the public, but few weeks along reports had it of the alleged absorbent state of our boarders and how the police trade with public healths.

A few weeks later, a third confirmed case was recorded of a traveler from Bauchi, who went to Jos, Plateau State, from where the case contacted the virus and subsequently traveled back to Enugu- ( 10 hours 13 mins journey) this and other related cases justifies the claim that our security agencies are not living up to their responsibility and have continued to sabotage the efforts of the state government.

But just like Franklin Roosevelt, The 32nd President of the United States in one of his popular quotes asserts: "Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country", it is a duty of all well-meaning Ndi Enugu to join hand with the responsive state government and ensures strict and complete compliance to this border closure.

I deem it pertinent to commend some youth organizations such as Nkanu Youth Assembly under Edeani M Edeani, Nsukka Youth General Assembly, other youth leaders, and some local government chairmen who are living up to this objective.
Video has emerged of how the deputy chairman of Awgu Local Government Hon. Lotachukwu Remy Ogbonnia Intercepted a truckload of a human being from the north which was concealed as goods, other videos have been seen of how the youths of the Nsukka hemisphere such as Sen Chijinkem Ugwuanyi, Ambassador etc intercepted and turned back many vehicles defaulting the lockdown directive, this is quite commendable and as well worthy of emulation.

Enugu state government under the leadership of Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been up to the task as we have seen.
We are also expecting an immediate rejig of our internal security, thereby engaging some  Adhoc citizens alongside the neighborhood watch, forest guards to work with the conventional security agencies.
Strict retribution of any security personnel caught receiving monetary inducement should be enacted by our state assembly thus ensuring complete compliance to the border closure and safety of Ndi Enugu.

God bless Enugu State Government
God bless Ndi Enugu

Sullivan Edeani 
is the Enugu State Lead, RaisingNewVoices.org
and can be reached on Twitter @SullivanEdeani

Post a Comment

1 Comments