YAHAYA Bello, Governor of Kogi State says Nigeria should take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to create more jobs, saying the country should provide clothes for face masks to be exported to those countries who have the disease.

Bello who continues to maintain that his state, Kogi has no single case of COVID-19, also stated that politicians have been playing game with the disease and putting Nigerians into hardship by imposing lockdown.

“Let us stop this game. Nigerians are suffering. Instead of the lockdown with its attendant negative effects on the people, why can’t we turn it into employment opportunities; providing clothes for face masks to be exported to those countries who have the disease?’ he said.

The Kogi State Governor spoke on Thursday while playing host to members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, who paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Lokoja.

According to him, COVID-19 is not a new disease to the country, noting that there are ways to treating it.

“COVID-19 is not a new disease in our clime. We have our own way of treating it and that is what we should be exploiting, rather than subjecting our people to hardship, hunger and starvation through lockdown,” Bello said.

Speaking on the circumstances that surrounded the death of late Justice Nasir Ajanah, Chief Judge of the state, who was reported to have died from COVID-19 complications, the governor said the deceased had battled with severe health conditions since 2016 and died because he couldn’t access good healthcare due to the lockdown order.

“We know his medical history; he was my brother. We know we have been managing him since 2016, but this time, he was completely isolated; no one was allowed to even speak to him until he passed away. We cannot afford to be playing games with the lives of Nigerians This must stop,” he said.

On June 18, Abdulateef Suleman, a Personal Assistant to Bello, was reported to have died of suspected COVID-19.

Suleiman, 41, died during the early hours of Wednesday in a private hospital in Abuja  where he was admitted for treatment of an illness believed to be COVID-19 related.

In a picture seen by The ICIR, the late Aide to Kogi  Governor died while he was on ventilator in the private hospital.

Since Nigeria got its index case in February, COVID-19 has continued to responsible for death of prominent Nigerians.

In April, Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari former Chief of Staff was pronounced dead after losing the battle to the deadly virus.

On June 25, Abiola Ajimobi, former Oyo State governor also died of COVID-19.

on Thursday, Wahab Adegbenro, Ondo State Commissioner for Health, lost the battle to the deadly virus, just few days after Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of the state announced that he tested positive for coronavirus.