All Progressives Congress (APC), Delta State expresses disappointment over the lackluster performance of the State Government in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly, the woeful performance is not unconnected with the insincerity of the State Government which is predicated on political patronage on whatever it does.
Some of the underlying wrongdoings of the State Government are but not limited to the followings:
(1) It goofed when it closed the entry points into Delta State lately. Also, there was failure of arrangements for the upkeep of the security men stationed at those entry points. As a result of same, some of the security men have resorted to collecting money from travellers in order to provide for themselves.
(2) The Government, at the initial stage did not take the setting up of food banks seriously
(3) The State Government, instead of setting up food palliative Committees with men of impeccable character from the Religious circle and those with no political inclination so that the process will be truly credible and devoid of political sentiments, it preferred its political office holders whose interest and stock in trade is dipping their hands into whatever that is entrusted to them as well as limiting it to only their party members. Hence, in most local government areas, the food palliatives were hijacked and shared between their party members and some shameless traditional institutions, while those who genuinely need the food palliatives were given food items with milk-cup measurements!
(4) While State like Lagos established testing Centres for the screening/testing of patients, Delta State Government relies on Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State for testing of blood samples of suspected Covid-19 Carriers!
(5) Because of the insincerity of the State Government, where personal protective equipments (PPE) are supplied to hospitals, fanfares are made of them by way of taking photographs and granting interviews to pressmen on purported achievements. Information has it that between two to three days of the shenanigans, those personal protective equipments (PPE) are removed and taken to other hospitals for a repeat of the perfected fraud.
Delta APC challenges the State Government to take a cue from Lagos State, by establishing testing Centres in the State. There is no law that says that a State Government cannot establish a testing Centre(s). Delta State cannot be said to be so poor that it cannot establish a testing Centre in the State!
We therefore call on the State Government to be more serious in enforcing the stay at home order for the remaining days left in the second leg of the stay at home order that was made by the State Government. If nothing serious is done, we doubt if the Masses will listen and comply with further directives for the extension of the lockdown.
The Government should take more pragmatic steps in ensuring that the needy in the State is taken care of. As the saying goes ” a hungry man is an angry man”. Also, the provision of facemask and other things should not be handled in the same way that the distribution of food palliatives were handled. Politicians, particularly of the ruling party in the State should not have anything to do with distribution processes in the future.
There is murmuring in the State and feelers from Deltans is that people are ready to cast pebbles on whoever they see as the cause of their problems, because they no longer have trust in the Government. The reality is that hunger is what presently controls most people.
Delta APC calls on Deltans to continue to be law abiding. Covid-19 is real. The pandemic is not a respecter of the rich or the poor. All hands must be on deck to check its further spread and damage.
Sylvester Imonina, Esq.,
Publicity Secretary, APC, Delta State,
23rd April, 2020.
