•Accuses Bello of frustrating testing in Kogi
•Unhappy with Wike, Ayade
THE Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Coronavirus Disease has
formally reported Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to President
Muhammadu Buhari for what it termed the governor’s hostile attitude
to the body, TheNation reports [1]
The Task Force is also displeased with Governors Nyesom Wike
(Rivers) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) for allegedly not cooperating
with the committee in the fight against COVID-19.
Similarly unimpressed by the attitudes of the Kogi and Cross
River State governments is the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA),
particularly on claims by the two states that they are coronavirus
free.
The association says the two states must follow the testing
guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
before having such bragging rights.
The Nation gathered yesterday that the Federal Government may
impose a lockdown on Kogi State or declare a state of emergency if
Governor Bello continues to defy the PTF.
Sources said the Kogi governor who is generally perceived as a
core Buharist stands the risk of losing the favour he currently
enjoys from the Villa.
The PTF, according to sources, is angry at the “very poor”
attitude of Bello to the management of Coronavirus epidemic, which
has led to the conduct of only two tests so far in his state.
The committee suspects that the state may be suppressing
information about Coronavirus infections in its territory, going by
the governor’s alleged maltreatment of NCDC officials sent to the
state on Thursday.
The four-man NCDC team to the State was allegedly hounded and
escorted out of Lokoja by some policemen and security agents up to
the airport road in Abuja on the order of the governor.
The development and reports of some cases at the Federal Medical
Centre in Lokoja, the state capital are said to have fueled
suspicion by the PTF that the state has more to hide on
COVID-19.
Consequently, the PTF has met with all the security agencies to
“keep them abreast of the breach of the Quarantine Act by the state
government.”
A top level source said: “The facts at our disposal have shown
that Kogi is at the risk of COVID-19 because it is a melting point
for inter-state travelers and it shares borders with 12 states
(about one-third of the states in the Federation) which had
recorded infections. The border States are Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Kwara,
Niger, Anambra, Niger, Enugu, Osun, FCT, Plateau and Benue.
“Kogi has only conducted two tests despite the increasing rate
of community spread. We were shocked that the state government has
refused to fulfill its obligations as enshrined in the Quarantine
Act 1990 CAP 384 LFN.
“Yet, the PTF has been very polite in relating with Bello. For
instance, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire on Tuesday
called the governor and it was agreed that a four-man team of NCDC
would be sent to the state.
“But while receiving the four-man team on Thursday, he said they
should handover the letter they brought to the state Commissioner
for Health. In the process, the commissioner had contact with the
head of the team and the governor sparked by ordering his immediate
quarantine.
“Following refusal to be quarantined, the governor humiliated
the team by ensuring that they were escorted by armed police out of
Lokoja to the airport road in Abuja.”
Another reliable source said: “The PTF was briefed by the team
which went to Kogi State. And the committee in turn held a meeting
with security agencies where the governor’s unbecoming attitude was
formally reported.
“The PTF members also unanimously decided to report the governor
to President Muhammadu Buhari since he has always boasted that he
has the ears of the President.
“The position of the committee is for the President to invoke
his powers in the 1999 Constitution to declare a state of emergency
in Kogi State or use his inherent authority in the Quarantine Act
to impose lockdown on the state.
“The PTF believes any of these steps should be taken if the
governor remains recalcitrant. It is left to the President to
decide the fate of Kogi State.
“Although the governor is a favourite of the Presidential Villa,
it is doubtful if he can have his way. He is overstretching his
luck.”
Committee also displeased with Wike,
Ayade
Investigation also showed that the PTF was equally angry with
Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) for “not
cooperating with the committee on containment of COVID-19.”
A member of the task force said: “These two governors are not
doing enough to contain the coronavirus; they are playing politics
with it. They have not paid serious attention to the campaign
against COVID-19.
“These two governors are also under watch because we won’t allow
them to derail our efforts at containing the epidemic. What we are
demanding from the governors are concrete steps to stop community
spread, not playing to the gallery. Enough of politics with
COVID-19.
“Ayade sees the entire COVID-19 epidemic as not real but an
attempt to make money.”
The Cross River governor once said: “I think Africans should
come together to the realization that it is not vaccines. It is
healthy living. Give people jobs. Thabo Mbeki once told the world,
‘don’t tell us about giving us HIV drugs in South Africa. Give us
money let us improve our agriculture.’ Let everybody have a job and
is working and living healthy. HIV virus will disappear; the same
thing with coronavirus.
“It would sound very controversial but you should know that I am
talking from a sound intellectual and scientific background.
“The virus itself, the test method itself, the PCR (Polymerase
Chain Reaction) test method is an unreliable method and is never to
be used for diagnostic purpose but genomic sequencing, for just
research purposes.
“But the PCR is being used, test kits are being produced. Test
kits manufacturers are making cool money. If I test you and you are
coronavirus positive, what do I do? There are no vaccines. There is
no established approved international treatment protocol.”
It could not be immediately ascertained whether the President
may impose lockdown on Rivers and Cross River States.
A highly-placed source said: “We won’t allow the situation in
those two states to deteriorate, we are monitoring them
closely.”
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), in a recent statement said the President
has power to deal with the situation reports in Kogi, Rivers and
Cross River States having taken similar measures in Lagos, FCT and
Ogun.
Malami said: “Section 3 of the Act enables the President to
declare any part of Nigeria as an infected area. Section 4 of the
Act further empowers the President to make regulations to prevent
the introduction, spread and transmission of any dangerous
infectious disease. “Section 6 of the Act requires the President
and State Governors to provide sanitary stations, buildings and
equipment. Thus, in recognition of the critical roles being played
by the state Governors in these trying times, the Federal
Government has been working with the states in line with the
dictates of Section 6 of the Act,” he said.
“It is important to inform the discerning members of the public
that the President did not make a declaration of a state of
emergency under Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended) which would have required the concurrence of both houses
of the national assembly.
“Even at that Section 305(6)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended) permits a proclamation of a State of Emergency to run for
a period of 10 days without the approval of the National Assembly
when the parliament is not in session as in the present situation
wherein the National Assembly has shut down.”
Yusuf Alli, / Moses Emorinken For TheNation.net
•Accuses Bello of frustrating testing in Kogi
•Unhappy with Wike, Ayade
THE Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Coronavirus Disease has
formally reported Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to President
Muhammadu Buhari for what it termed the governor’s hostile attitude
to the body, TheNation reports [1]
The Task Force is also displeased with Governors Nyesom Wike
(Rivers) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) for allegedly not cooperating
with the committee in the fight against COVID-19.
Similarly unimpressed by the attitudes of the Kogi and Cross
River State governments is the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA),
particularly on claims by the two states that they are coronavirus
free.
The association says the two states must follow the testing
guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
before having such bragging rights.
The Nation gathered yesterday that the Federal Government may
impose a lockdown on Kogi State or declare a state of emergency if
Governor Bello continues to defy the PTF.
Sources said the Kogi governor who is generally perceived as a
core Buharist stands the risk of losing the favour he currently
enjoys from the Villa.
The PTF, according to sources, is angry at the “very poor”
attitude of Bello to the management of Coronavirus epidemic, which
has led to the conduct of only two tests so far in his state.
The committee suspects that the state may be suppressing
information about Coronavirus infections in its territory, going by
the governor’s alleged maltreatment of NCDC officials sent to the
state on Thursday.
The four-man NCDC team to the State was allegedly hounded and
escorted out of Lokoja by some policemen and security agents up to
the airport road in Abuja on the order of the governor.
The development and reports of some cases at the Federal Medical
Centre in Lokoja, the state capital are said to have fueled
suspicion by the PTF that the state has more to hide on
COVID-19.
Consequently, the PTF has met with all the security agencies to
“keep them abreast of the breach of the Quarantine Act by the state
government.”
A top level source said: “The facts at our disposal have shown
that Kogi is at the risk of COVID-19 because it is a melting point
for inter-state travelers and it shares borders with 12 states
(about one-third of the states in the Federation) which had
recorded infections. The border States are Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Kwara,
Niger, Anambra, Niger, Enugu, Osun, FCT, Plateau and Benue.
“Kogi has only conducted two tests despite the increasing rate
of community spread. We were shocked that the state government has
refused to fulfill its obligations as enshrined in the Quarantine
Act 1990 CAP 384 LFN.
“Yet, the PTF has been very polite in relating with Bello. For
instance, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire on Tuesday
called the governor and it was agreed that a four-man team of NCDC
would be sent to the state.
“But while receiving the four-man team on Thursday, he said they
should handover the letter they brought to the state Commissioner
for Health. In the process, the commissioner had contact with the
head of the team and the governor sparked by ordering his immediate
quarantine.
“Following refusal to be quarantined, the governor humiliated
the team by ensuring that they were escorted by armed police out of
Lokoja to the airport road in Abuja.”
Another reliable source said: “The PTF was briefed by the team
which went to Kogi State. And the committee in turn held a meeting
with security agencies where the governor’s unbecoming attitude was
formally reported.
“The PTF members also unanimously decided to report the governor
to President Muhammadu Buhari since he has always boasted that he
has the ears of the President.
“The position of the committee is for the President to invoke
his powers in the 1999 Constitution to declare a state of emergency
in Kogi State or use his inherent authority in the Quarantine Act
to impose lockdown on the state.
“The PTF believes any of these steps should be taken if the
governor remains recalcitrant. It is left to the President to
decide the fate of Kogi State.
“Although the governor is a favourite of the Presidential Villa,
it is doubtful if he can have his way. He is overstretching his
luck.”
Committee also displeased with Wike,
Ayade
Investigation also showed that the PTF was equally angry with
Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) for “not
cooperating with the committee on containment of COVID-19.”
A member of the task force said: “These two governors are not
doing enough to contain the coronavirus; they are playing politics
with it. They have not paid serious attention to the campaign
against COVID-19.
“These two governors are also under watch because we won’t allow
them to derail our efforts at containing the epidemic. What we are
demanding from the governors are concrete steps to stop community
spread, not playing to the gallery. Enough of politics with
COVID-19.
“Ayade sees the entire COVID-19 epidemic as not real but an
attempt to make money.”
The Cross River governor once said: “I think Africans should
come together to the realization that it is not vaccines. It is
healthy living. Give people jobs. Thabo Mbeki once told the world,
‘don’t tell us about giving us HIV drugs in South Africa. Give us
money let us improve our agriculture.’ Let everybody have a job and
is working and living healthy. HIV virus will disappear; the same
thing with coronavirus.
“It would sound very controversial but you should know that I am
talking from a sound intellectual and scientific background.
“The virus itself, the test method itself, the PCR (Polymerase
Chain Reaction) test method is an unreliable method and is never to
be used for diagnostic purpose but genomic sequencing, for just
research purposes.
“But the PCR is being used, test kits are being produced. Test
kits manufacturers are making cool money. If I test you and you are
coronavirus positive, what do I do? There are no vaccines. There is
no established approved international treatment protocol.”
It could not be immediately ascertained whether the President
may impose lockdown on Rivers and Cross River States.
A highly-placed source said: “We won’t allow the situation in
those two states to deteriorate, we are monitoring them
closely.”
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), in a recent statement said the President
has power to deal with the situation reports in Kogi, Rivers and
Cross River States having taken similar measures in Lagos, FCT and
Ogun.
Malami said: “Section 3 of the Act enables the President to
declare any part of Nigeria as an infected area. Section 4 of the
Act further empowers the President to make regulations to prevent
the introduction, spread and transmission of any dangerous
infectious disease. “Section 6 of the Act requires the President
and State Governors to provide sanitary stations, buildings and
equipment. Thus, in recognition of the critical roles being played
by the state Governors in these trying times, the Federal
Government has been working with the states in line with the
dictates of Section 6 of the Act,” he said.
“It is important to inform the discerning members of the public
that the President did not make a declaration of a state of
emergency under Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended) which would have required the concurrence of both houses
of the national assembly.
“Even at that Section 305(6)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended) permits a proclamation of a State of Emergency to run for
a period of 10 days without the approval of the National Assembly
when the parliament is not in session as in the present situation
wherein the National Assembly has shut down.”
Yusuf Alli, / Moses Emorinken For TheNation.net