By Ozioruva Aliu – Benin City

As recorded cases of coronavirus continue to increase in Edo state putting ahead of other states except for Lagos, Abuja and Osun state, one of the leading governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the September 19 election in Edo State, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi has suggested a total shut down of the state like many other states have done in order to arrest the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The state now has 14 confirmed cases as at the time of writing this report.

He said:“I am in Abuja right now; we’ve been home now for two weeks, and Mr. President said there should be a further two weeks extension.

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Lagos State government has done the same; same in Ogun. Even our nearby state, Delta, has done that. On the other side, Anambra has done that.

Then you begin to wonder; our neighbor, Delta has recorded just three cases, why are we recording 14? So, I think we should copy-cat.

In other words, we should equally shut our gates to outsiders coming to the state so that we can manage the situation within the state, otherwise we don’t pray for the negative aspect.

If there is an explosion of this number of patients, I doubt if we are ready to curtail it”.

In terms of providing succor to the people to cushion the effect of the lockdown, Ogiemwonyi believed that the government had not done enough. “I think government should do more.

I like the Lagos model, what Lagos State is doing. We should go and see what they are doing. I have not been there; but we watch them on television.

They are creating artificial markets in various areas to ensure that traffic outside is reduced to the minimum and some of these things are equally subsidized. I think our government should be able to do that.

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They should go to the nook and cranny of the state to support the people and equally subsidize these food items”.

While reacting the reason why the state is not on total shut down, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Paul Ihonbamu said “Not declaring total lockdown in Edo is to prevent suffering by people of the state, because 90 per cent of them are in the informal sector and they have been told that as they are leaving their homes, they must wear face masks, regularly use sanitiser, wash their hands always and observe social distancing. Total lockdown will be the last option, when the situation gets out of hand or reaches the extreme, which we do not pray for.”

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