THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday described as creepy, and a betrayal of public trust, the denial by Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, about the whereabouts of the 15 Chinese Doctors who came into the country on 8th April.
The party said it is weird that Ehanire, who had repeatedly assured that the Chinese were brought to render medical support and training; could suddenly change his narrative about the Chinese citizens.
In a statement issued by the party via its social media handle, the PDP gave 48 hours for the Federal Government to locate the foreigners, stressing that Ehanire was part of government officials that received the personnel upon their arrival in Abuja.
According to the party, Ehanire’s statement about the foreigners had heightened apprehensions in the public space while the true identity of the Chinese team has reportedly been shrouded in secrecy.
“The PDP recalls how officials of the All Progressive Congress-led administration had vehemently defended the invitation of the Chinese team and offered them full state protocol upon arrival, only to now turn around to disclaim the supposed experts, deny involvement with them and even forbid Nigerians from inquiring about their whereabouts.
“Our party is worried that the APC-led Federal Government is being economical with the truth, with its officials playing politics with the lives of our citizens and health safety of our nation,” the statement read in part.
The Minister had recently told journalists who asked him about the doctors, during the regular briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 not to bother him with such as they were not really federal government’s guests.
The Chinese had arrived at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja early April on premise that they were coming to assist Nigeria in the fight against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) until the question of their whereabouts became public discourse.
On 28th April, it was reported that the Chinese had tested negative for the virus but since then, not much was heard from the foreigners.
“They are not really our guests…I think not all of them are doctors. Some of them are technicians…….the Ministry of health is not their host, so we cannot always explain what happens to them or where they are.” Ehanire told journalists at the PTF briefing.
However, the opposition party charged the Federal Government to identify the exact locations of the Chinese foreigners.
They expressed worry over the incident stressing that the current government should be held responsible should there be any sudden upsurge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country, with the arrival of the said Chinese medical team.
The party emphasised that based on government data, Nigeria had 254 confirmed cases with 44 treated cases and six deaths, but the data has risen to 5,450 cases and 171 deaths.
“Our party, therefore, insists that the PTF on COVID-19 should immediately come out with the truth and provide explanations on the whereabouts of the team in the next 48 hours so as to douse the tension in the country,” the party has said.
THE South East zone of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has condemned the suspension of Vivian Ottih, the Chairperson of Imo State NAWOJ, by the management of Imo Broadcasting Corporation over an appeal for the payment of her salary and colleagues’.
The group said the suspension was labour-related and was based on Ottih’s innocuous Facebook post on the three- month outstanding salaries of workers in the station.
NAWOJ expressed disappointment that the journalist was suspended at the time shortly after she gave birth to a baby.
And that claims made by Ottih on outstanding wages has not been disputed by the management.
Ottih, a lawyer, had on May 4 in a Facebook post pleaded publicly to the state government to pay her colleagues and herself their over three months salaries.
“Please my brother, help me inform our humble and performing governor that the entire staff of the only electronic media establishment owned by the state Imo Broadcasting Corporation, the famous Orient FM and Television have not received salaries for the month of February, March and April.”
For complaining of non-payment of her salaries and that of her colleagues in the public, Imo state government then queried the senior editor.
Suspension letter issued to Vivian Ottih
In a press statement signed by Lion Chibota Edozie Vice President, South East NAWOJ, she described the action of Vivian’s indefinite suspension as hasty, high-handed and against all known labour laws.
“We are persuaded to think that this action does not have the blessings of His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma the Executive Governor of Imo State because he won’t sanction such high-handed action.”
Further describing the incident, the group added that it was against the backdrop of the fact that the action would be an embarrassment to the National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who, apart from being very close to Hope Uzodinma, fought all his labour years, for what Ottih is being victimised.
It therefore called on the Director-General of Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) to revoke the suspension of Ottih and effect the payment of outstanding wages of all workers in the establishment.
THE Nigerian government has finally taken delivery of Covid Organics (CVO), Madagascan herbal solution promoted as cure for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
The consignment arrived barely 48 hours after Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) disclosed that Nigeria did not request for the drugs.
Garba Shehu, spokesperson to the President tweeted about the arrival of the drugs on Saturday when Buhari received President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau, at the State House in Abuja.
The President, in the statement, restated his commitment to ensuring the mixture undergoes appropriate scientific verifications before it is adopted as a cure for the COVID-19 and administered on infected patients.
“President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday at the State House, Abuja, received the Madagascan native formulation against the #Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement read.
“We have our institutions, systems, and processes in the country. Any such formulations should be sent to them for verification. We will not put it to use without the endorsement of our institutions,” he stated.
Since the Madagascan authority adopted the herbal drug, which has since undergone massive production, about 55 COVID-19 patients have reportedly recovered from the pandemic.
Despite the success, the process of producing the herbal tonic has been a subject of controversy in Nigeria.
Medical practitioners and other health workers have criticised the government’s decision to bring the drugs into the country.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), and Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), particularly described the idea of importing the herbal solution as thoroughly disgraceful, noting that there are 69 research institutes and federal, state universities in the country capable of developing local solutions.
Also, experts have cautioned over the usage of the drugs because of the short term of the product development, which did not meet the acceptable scientific standard.
Research and development, according to the experts for such product would mostly span between three and six years.
The pre-clinical trial would also take another year.
The in vivo (experiments on cells or molecules outside their usual environment) and in vitro studies (testing in animals, toxicology, efficacy and how quickly the drugs are absorbed and subsequently eliminated) are also checked before it is tried on a larger population and released for public use.
It is uncertain Covid Organic went through any of this process.
Earlier, The ICIR had reported that the Federal Government may be able to subject the herbal solution to proper clinical trial due to lack of adequate equipment.
On 14th May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its Regional Director, Matshidiso Moeti, disclosed an intention to study the herbal solution.
The director indeed had called for caution, stressing the need for a clinical trial.
“We would caution and advise countries against adopting a product that has not been through clinical tests for safety and efficacy,” Moeti had noted.
Notwithstanding, Shehu told The ICIR that the drug is a donation and not a request from the Nigerian authority.
“This is a Madagascan concoction, and they have said it over and again that they are making free donations to brother African nations,” he said, in response to a text message sent by The ICIR.
THE Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has urged the general public to disregard a statement that says guideline has been released for the resumption of flights in Nigeria.
The agency called on the public to disregard the “fake” guideline in a press statement issued by the FAAN General manager on Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu.
A statement on the guideline was signed by one Tayo Olu on May 16th that a post COVID-19 guideline has been released for air travellers through FAAN.
FAAN urged the general public most especially air travellers to disregard such information.
The agency said although the government is working on a guideline for the resumption of air travels, it is still a work in progress and the statement should be ignored.
“We want to state emphatically that although FAAN is carefully and seriously working on a guideline, the release did not emanate from us as it is still a work in progress,” the agency declared
The statement noted that when the guideline is ready, the FAAN would communicate to the public through official channels.
THE Lagos and Ogun State governments have made multiple public claims to stop inter state movements as part of measures to curtail the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in their respective states but checks by The ICIR revealed that such announcements are mere ‘audio announcements’ as essential and non essential workers still travel in and outside both states.
Despite the fact that Ogun and Lagos states have both recorded about 40 percent of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, many residents of both states have continued to commute in and out of the states with little or no restrictions.
And the security agents act indifferent, in some case they even aid commuters to undermine the lockdown order.
There are varieties of options available to residents willing to go in or out of both Lagos and Ogun despite the inter state lockdown.
Unrestricted movements and Unchecked Boundaries
After the state governments’s announcement, security officials consisting of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) were deployed to enforce the lockdown at the boundary between the states.
At the Toll Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, there were heavily armed security men.
On the side of the road that leads to Ogun state, only essential travelers or those with permits are alllowed passage.
Barricaded Lagos-Ogun boundary. Credit: Lukman Abolade/The ICIR
The cars are checked one after the other as the road has been narrowed with blockades by the security forces giving way for restricted access.
On the other side of the road which leads to Lagos, the security forces are also on the road ensuring that no vehicles are allowed passage, but passengers can disembark and walk past the barricade to Lagos.
Therefore, commuters traveling from any part of Ogun to Lagos would alight at the Toll Gate, a few meters from the security checkpoint, walk casually into Lagos state where they board another bus into the metropolis.
Commuters walking inside and outside Lagos and Ogun States. Credit: Lukman Abolade/The ICIR
Although, the commuters are checked for compliance with the face mask guideline by health authorities beyond that, they are never stopped from entering or exiting the states.
Just like the Toll Gate boundary, another Ogun – Lagos boundary at Mowe/Ibafo is no different.
On getting to the popular Berger bus stop, commuters would alight from cars or buses then walk their way into Lagos state and vice versa.
Lagos and Ogun states share many boundaries but as observed by The ICIR some of these boundaries are unpatrolled hereby jeopardising the purpose of the interstate lockdown as declared by the two state governments.
During a visit by The ICIR to Iju-Ishaga in Lagos state bordering Ajuwon, Ogun state, the boundary was left unmarked and one could hardly diffrentiate the entry point except through signposts of local businesses nearby that show diferent states.
Iju – Ishaga/Agbado boundary between Ogun and Lagos States. Credit: Lukman Abolade/The ICIR
Iju-Ishaga, Lagos state also shares another boundary with Agbado which falls under Ogun state but like the other boundary, this boundary is also unpatrolled, but unlike the other, there is a sign that indicates entrance and exit from Ogun state.
Why we must travel to and from Lagos – Ogun Residents speak
Baba Mathew, a 43 years old man who works in Apapa, Lagos stood at the Toll gate on Monday, 11th May waitng to board a bus to his work place.
After a while he got tired and stepped back to contune to waiting for another vehicle.
Baba Mathew during an interview with The ICIR on why he must get to Lagos State.
He told The ICIR that he must by all means get to his work place in Apapa.
He spends five working days in Lagos and returns home on weekends to his family in Ota, Ogun State.
“Where would I stay in Lagos after work on Fridays? No where! So I must come home to my family, he told The ICIR.
He added that he has never considered living in Lagos state due to the high cost of living and housing.
“The stress is much for me too, most especially during this lockdown but I dont have a choice because I can’t afford to feed my family in Lagos and do you know how much an apartment costs in Lagos state? It’s a no-go-area for me, so I just have to keep going and coming back,” Mathew said.
Similar to his situation is that of Joseph Akanbi who also works in Lagos State but lives in Dopemu, Ogun State.
Joseph Akanbi during an Interview with The ICIR
To him, it’s a matter of survival, if he doesn’t go to work in Lagos state, he would lose his job to someone that stays in Lagos hence he must travel despite the restriction orders.
He told The ICIR that it is essential for him to travel everyday because he has to earn something for the family.
“If I decide to stay at home no one would feed me and my family, so i must go, it’s better to struggle to get to Lagos and come back to Ogun than watch my children starve or turn into beggars,” Akanbi said.
According to him, he lives with his wife and four children who now eat more than usual because they stay at home all day.
Dorcas Akiigebe, a health worker in Lagos state has a house of her own in Ogun state which is why she has to commute between states everyday.
Dorcas Akiigbe being interviewed by The ICIR
“Everyone has their reason for travelling but as for me, I am an health worker for my community in Yaba LCDA and I have a house here in Ifo Ogun state, I usually come home to rest when I am off duty,” she said.
We don’t control the security personnel, says Lagos government
The Lagos State government in an interview with The ICIR said they do not control the security forces.
“We are not in control of the military or the police, we are preaching they (people) should take responsibility but people take the law in their hand, the governor has spoken against this act,” said the Lagos state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho
He said the government only make laws and it is left to the security agents to enforce the laws.
Omotosho said although the government does not have evidence of people disembarking vehicles and walking into the state but they have heard people say that.
“I don’t have any evidence but people have been talking about it that people disembark the vehicle and walk into the state,” Omotosho told The ICIR.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Bala Elkana said the police has been doing all it can to ensure people comply to the guidelines but insisted that people are fond of devising means to defy the law.
He added that most of Lagos-Ogun boundaries are communities and it is impossible to achieve a hundred percent boundary closure unless one is to shut down the nearby community.
About the unpatrolled boundaries, Elkana said he is unaware that are unpatrolled boundaries. He said with this information, he would look into it and take action.
The spokesperson to Ogun State Government, Remi Hassan, has not answered calls and messages from The ICIR as at the time of filing this report.
On the other hand, the Ogun state Police Command blamed the people for devising means to beat the security network.
However, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun state police spokesperson said the command would continue to improve on measures to enforce the law.
“Some of our people are very recalcitrant and since we have reslised that we have been devising measures to put an end to that that is why you’ll hear that we have been intercepting some people traveling into the state and sending them back to where they came from some have been fined,” Oyeyemi said.
As at the time of this publication, commuters still travel in and out of Lagos and Ogun States with little or no restriction.
SOCIO-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has requested the Federal Government to urgently publish details of the suppliers and contractors, as well as the procurement rules, including bidding processes, and the total budget forthe implementation of the school feeding programme.
The request was made to the Federal Government through a Freedom of Information (FOI).
SERAP also seeks information on the number of states to be covered during the COVID-19 crisis, and the projected spending per state.
The request also listed details of the mechanisms and logistics that have been put in place to carry out the programme, as well as the role expected to be played by the World Food Programme.
Recall that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar-Farouk on Wednesday announced that the government would start feeding school children in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, starting from Ogun and Lagos states, and Abuja.
SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare said publishing the details requested is in the public interest.
This would help to address public scepticism regarding the ability of the government to satisfactorily implement the programme, promote openness, and allow Nigerians to track its implementation and to hold suppliers and contractors to account, SERAP said.
“SERAP notes that the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party requires the government to set the highest standards of transparency, accountability and probity in programmes that it oversees.”
According to SERAP, “publishing the details of suppliers and contractors and the procurement rules being implemented for executing the school feeding programme at home would also remove the risks of conflicts of interest and politicisation of the programme, as well as promote transparency and accountability.”
The civil society organisation urged the federal government to establish an online national database for all suppliers and contractors responsible for carrying out the programme to feed school children in their homes which is expected to cover over three million households in Lagos and Ogun states, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
AFRICA private creditors have formed a working group that will assist African countries and other debt providers to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent, Bloomberg has reported.
This would be carried out by negotiating debt relief for African nations, the group said in a statement Friday.
Private creditors representing more than $9 trillion of assets warned on the risks of a blanket approach to the process.
The private creditors include private bondholders, private banks, other private financial institutions, and manufacturers, exporters, and other suppliers of goods that have a financial claim.
The group, coordinating the view of more than 25 of the world’s foremost asset managers and financial institutions, has established a number of core principles of engagement.
Chief among those is that a one-size-fits-all solution will be counter-productive for the continent, it said.
African countries are asking official and private creditors to temporarily suspend payments in order to channel resources to contain the pandemic.
The virus threatens to overwhelm the health system of a continent that is home to two-thirds of the world’s poor.
“Future generations of Africans will need to access private capital to invest in hospitals, roads, education, healthcare systems and other infrastructure critical for economic and societal development,” it said.
“A rushed, blanket approach developed during a time of crisis will put that crucial long-term access to capital at risk.”
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has also estimated that the continent may lose half of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth from 3.2 per cent to 1.8 per cent, particularly due to supply chain disruptions, shrinking investment and lower remittances.
According to the African Union, it is projected that exports and imports of African countries will reduce by at least 35 per cent from the level reached in 2019, which is a loss estimated at around $270 billion.
THE Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI said it has inflicted damages on armed bandits in a coordinated air attack dwellings along the Nahuta-Doumborou corridor on the border between Katsina and Zamfara states.
The operation was executed yesterday, sequel to credible intelligence reports indicating that a notorious armed bandit leader and his followers were harboured in a cluster of huts near a high ground in the area.
According to a tweet by the defence headquarters, the Air Component dispatched a Nigerian Air Force attack helicopter as well as a ground attack aircraft to engage the location.
Several of the armed bandits were seen along with a large number of rustled cattle.
The attack aircraft took turns in engaging the area, neutralising some of the bandits while few escaped with injuries.
Human Intelligence (HUMINT) sources later confirmed that no fewer than 27 bandits were neutralised as a result of the attack.
The Armed Forces of Nigeria however, encouraged the general public to continue providing useful information that would facilitate its operations to restore peace and security to all affected parts of the country.
FAITH Anyanwu, medical practitioner and official of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, who blew the whistle on the alleged alarming cases of COVID -19 infections in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, in an audio recording that has gone viral, has landed in trouble as the state government might be planning disciplinary action against her,
Investigations by The ICIR indicate that apart from losing her job, her practice license may also be suspended or withdrawn.
“I am sure if she is not sacked already, she is going to be sacked very soon,” a senior government official who sought anonymity told The ICIR.
“Not only that, we would also make sure that her practice license is suspended too, for breaching the ethical code of her profession,” the source added.
Three weeks ago, in an audio message which trended on the social media, Anyanwu called attention to the alleged widespread of COVID 19 cases in Festac and Amuwo-Odofin environ of Lagos State.
She said that “there is high rate of community transmission of the deadly virus in Festac and the entire Amuwo-Odofin”, adding that “out of 40 samples collected, in a particular day, for example, 10 to 15 people came out positive.
In Agboju Market, the central market servicing the entire Festac and adjoining communities like Maza-Maza, Ojo Road and Mile 2), the situation is worse, she said.
“You must not approach Festac or Amuwo-Odofin at this time. If at all you must do so, you must protect yourself with face mask and hand sanitiser,” Anyanwu counseled in the audio message, which has been widely circulated on WhatsApp.
However, the Lagos State government has dismissed Anyanwu’s message, describing it as “hoax,” “fake news,” and “breach of ethical code,” adding that it was “false, misleading, and lacked credibility”.
“The number of cases quoted also was unbelievably exaggerated,” the government insisted.
The government official quoted earlier said the state government felt embarrassed and betrayed by one of its health workers and deemed her action irresponsible.
The official said that the attitude of the government is that “even if what she said in the audio is true and that staggering infection rates were being recorded, it was irresponsible of her to have made it public in the manner she did.
“What she did could have led to serious health crisis in the state as people could have panicked”.
The government, however, has not been able to give the actual number of the existing cases in the Amuwo-Odofin LGA.
The officials only confirmed that Amuwo-Odofin Testing Center serves five local government areas and the numbers were for those council areas.
But neither the Chairman of the LGA, Valentine Brahimon, nor the NCDC Surveillance Lead assigned to the area, Oyelakun Okunromade, could provide accurate figure of the people infected by the Coronavirus.
The press conference jointly held by the local government and NCDC, on April 24, also did not offer much information other than to discountenance Anyanwu’s claims and allay the peoples’ fears.
But the LGA boss confirmed that “it is true that there were 23 positive cases reported in Amuwo-Odofin, but that number does not belong to Amuwo-Odofin alone.”
He said the LGA is serving as a Zonal Testing Center for four other local government –Apapa, Ojo, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and Badagry,
The NCDC senior official who spoke after him also did not provide clarity, rather she attacked the personality of Anyanwu.
According to Okunromade, “she (Anyanwu) is a medical doctor. And you understand that this period is a stressful period for everybody. It could be one of the reasons why she made that non-evidence-based statement.”
Yomi Adejumo, CPS to Chairman Amuwo Odofin
Continuing, Okunromade said the authorities have taken charge of the situation.
“As the EOS, we have spoken to her. We’ve taken her in for counseling, and we are on top of the situation.”
The ICIR learnt that some government officials are also aggrieved because of her audio message, and are calling for her head.
To them, her offence is too grievous to be overlooked. They believe her action almost triggered widespread panic and public incitement against the government.
And “relieving her of her volunteering job, instigating her sack from her primary place of work, and suspending her practicing license” will not be too much a punishment”, an aggrieved official told The ICIR.
In an exclusive interview with The ICIR at the LGA Secretariat, Brahimon, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Yomi Adejumo, he described Anyawun’s message as a “hoax”.
“The lady has apologised that it (the audio message) wasn’t meant for public consumption, that she was just trying to tell her people to beware about the virus and take safety precautions, ” he said.
Brahimo didn’t provide additional information.
Former Chairman of the local government, Ayodele Adewale, and the Chief Medical Doctor, Amuwo-Odofin Maternal and Child Center, Dapo Shoyinka, also expressed their displeasures on the matter.
Adewale, in a telephone interview with The ICIR, described Anyanwu as a purveyor of fake news, saying in a matter of science, “empirical facts are sacrosanct.”
He said the incontrovertible reputation of science lies solely on verifiable and consistent fact, “which the young lady’s broadcast lacked in its entirety.
“Therefore, for me, her message should rather be seen as nothing but fake news,” he added.
For Shoyinka, the Medical Director of the only government – owned hospital in Amuwo-Odofin area, Anyanwu’s voice note threw him off balance.
Dismissing the claims in its entirety, Shoyinka said, as the Medical Director of AOMCC, he would have known of any emergency if such exists.
And in that situation, he said measures already have been put in place to effectively manage patients until they are safer to be handed over to NCDC without spreading the virus.
“I must confess, I was taken aback on listening to the audio. I had to make several calls to all the colleagues in the private hospitals within the local government to verify the fact.
“When it was established they were unfounded, I finally called the local government chairman, who allayed my fears that they are already attending to the matter.”
Shoyinka said he has been dealing with lots maternal and pediatric cases but is yet to record any COVID case in his hospital.
“I have been treating patients, more than the usual number, particularly because of the free healthcare services that Mr. Governor generously granted the people of Lagos State.
“And as a matter of programming, I get an update on a daily basis of any patient that comes to our emergency, their diagnosis, treatment procedures and everything of such would come directly to my phone.”
Also, Oladehinde Ebenezer, the Medical Officer Health, who doubles as the Head of the COVID 19 Team for Amuwo-Odofin, and worked directly with Anyanwu, acknowledged that though she was a diligent officer, who demonstrated high level of competence on the job, “but she shouldn’t have abused the opportunity and broken the ethics of her job.”
Ebenezer did not distinguish between professional ethics and moral courage to call for safety, especially during health crisis such as COVID 19.
Several text messages and calls put through to Akin Abayomi, a Professor of Internal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Environmental Health and Biosecurity and Lagos State Commissioner for Health, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Gbenga Omotosho, were not responded to.
Abayomi also did not respond to messages sent to his Twitter handle and Facebook Messenger.
The Lagos State monthly COVID 19 Update for the month of April, as released by the Ministry of Health, did not list Amuwo-Odofin among the LGAs with positive cases.
The ICIR checks Anyanwu’s claim.
Investigations by The ICIR shows that in the last one month, NCDC officials have visited about half a dozen of buildings within Festac alone, to evacuate persons who have manifested the symptoms of Coronavirus.
Out of these cases, one person was evacuated from 24 Road, two patients on 7th avenue and another one on 5th avenue.
There were viral video proofs of these cases, as recorded by residents, who later posted them on the social media.
After each of these evacuations, it was learnt, another team of NCDC would return to the addresses, to disinfect the affected homes, thereby preventing further outbreak within the area.
Repeated visits by this reporter to three residences among the places where patients were evacuated did not yield much information, as the families and neighbors appear to have deserted the area.
While those that were around, would not open their doors to attend to the reporter, those outside maintained sealed lips over the matter.
“Oga, what are you looking for? You better go home and keep safe. The virus is everywhere, and somebody was picked from that block just last week”, a young man, who identified himself as Pastor Emmanuel, warned this reporter to leave the area immediately.
When the reporter visited last week, Festac and the entire Amuwo-Odofin were empty. People barely summoned the courage to leave their home. It was an uneasy calmness in the entire area.
The COVID 19 cases allegedly reported at Frontline Hospital, a private clinic on First Avenue, Festac, also fueled the apprehension.
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Shutdown Firstline Hospital, FestacAt the hospital, there were two contradicting stories, with one claiming three non-medical officials of the hospital came down with the deadly virus and the place was immediately shut down upon their evacuation.
The other story, according to eyewitness, was that patients, who refused to divulge the symptoms of their illnesses, walked into the hospital, infected the hospital staffs, before they were all evacuated to the isolation and treatment center by NCDC. This also led to the closure of the medical facility, some residents said.
Efforts to reach the owner and Medical Director of the Hospital, Giwa, proved abortive, as several calls put through to him on his personal telephone number were not responded to. He also did not reply to the Whatsapp and SMS messages sent to him, requesting for comment
Who really is Faith Anyanwu
Anyanwu is one of the frontline officials, dealing with Active Case Search, Contact Tracing, and later Sample Collection for onward Testing of the virus, for the NCDC and Lagos State Government Response Team, and so her message was weighty.
Her LinkedIn account shows that she is a specialist in Infectious Disease Protocol, Patient Resuscitation, Emergency Management, Health Education and Clinical and Mortality Reviews, and she currently works with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital
She had her M.B.B.S from the Abia State University, M.Sc in Global Health (Health Metrics) from the University of Ibadan; had advance training in Leadership and Management in Health at the University of Washington and Emotional and Social Intelligence at the Lagos State Ministry of Establishments and Training.
With this resume, little wonder her warning quickly went viral, piercing through eardrums and sending chill down the spines of hundreds of thousands of residents of the community and beyond.
The 2006 census puts the total population of Amuwo-Odofin at 453,000.
For the inhabitants of this middle-income community of Lagos State, the message was loud and clear; there was trouble in the land!
Apprehension enveloped everywhere, as concerned individuals started putting calls through to their families, friends and loved ones, to warn them or out-rightly ask them to leave the area immediately.
According to the World Health organization, community transmission is the last and most uncontrollable stage a novel virus such as COVID 19 can get.
At this stage, positive cases would spiral out of control, as they would keep mounting daily, with heartbreaking fatalities.
Inside Agboju Market
Opeoluwa Second Gate Market, also known as Agboju Market, is reputed for its resilience over the years, serving hundreds of thousands of residents of Alakija, Festac, Amuwo, Agboju, Mile 2, and Maza-Maza environs.
Seller and buyer at the Agboju Market during The ICIR visit.
On both sides of the highway, the market landscape is barely occupying up to one hectare of land, but makeshift shades and woodened counters, scattered across the roadsides, sometimes occupying the walkways.
There was a conspicuous physical planning deficit in the structural layout of the market, just as it exists in many areas across the state.
The standard measurements for spacing in-between shops, at the market are not observed. Literarily speaking, the end of one table is the beginning of another.
Movement for customers sometimes is a Herculean task because pathways are too narrow to accommodate human traffic. Yet, the Agboju Market is the only around, catering to probably over 65% of the entire population in Festac and Amuwo.
Therefore, when the viral audio message surfaced, identifying it as a breeding ground for the deadly coronavirus, people panicked.
Anyanwu was not the only one concerned about the status of the market. In fact all the stakeholders who spoke to our reporter agreed that “the market needs urgent attention.”
At one of the daily briefings by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID 19, the Director General of NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu while responding to a question from journalists, admitted that, “our markets are not perfectly built to control COVID 19.”
He admitted, “In fact, they are perfect grounds to spread the virus.”
The NCDC boss’ explanation was that given the porous nature of the entry points into our markets, it is practically impossible to screen all customers coming in and out.
“But it behooves of you (market dwellers and executives) to insist that your customers do the right things, wear face masks, maintain social distance and probably wear gloves. You should know that compliance would most definitely safe your live,” he admonished.
The ICIR visited Agboju market for three days, observing activities and later joined women leaders on the tour. The inspection ended with interaction with some of the customers, sellers and the executives of the market.
The Secretary to the market executives, Fausat Bankole, in the absence of the Iyaloja, who guided this reporter on the tour of the market, spoke of safety precautions being enforced at the market.
“In this Agboju market, we are law-abiding and very responsible,” she said, adding that the executives have since been enforcing all the recommended safety precautions, including the compulsory wearing of face mask, improved hygiene, alternating roaster for all the traders, among others.
As the inspection progress, Bankole pointed at the stalls and the compliance to the spacing directives.
“As you can see, the owner of this table is absent today, the next, who sells Vegetable, is there shading; next to her, an onion seller, did not come today; the next, who sells pepper is selling and on and on like that.
“On the opposite side, the shoes and clothe sellers are not supposed to sell today, but they have come to plead with us to allow them so they can make some money to feed themselves and their families. We had to grant them the request,” Alhaja Bankole explained to this reporter.
Also speaking, Iya Biliki, a pepper seller who appears to be in her early 30s, said in Yoruba language that they were all scared when they heard about the audio message.
“We are scared o. we don’t want to die. Help us beg them to come to our rescue o,” she told The ICIR.
Admitting that they had to take advantage of the window of opportunity given by government to open and trade in the market, because of the survival challenge, but she and her contemporaries, as instructed by the market officials, are taking extraordinary safety precautions.
“As you can see me, I am covering my nose with face mask,” she pointed at her face, adding that any customers that comes without using it, would not be attended to.
“Yes, there is hunger in the land, but for me, life is worth much more than any amount,” she added.
On the part of the government, Abosede Finnin, the Health Educator for Amuwo-Odofin and head of the LGA Public Sensitisation Team on the virus, told our reporter that she has equally been patrolling the market, sensitising them on the virus and the need to take safety precaution.
“Unfortunately however, the traders are very aggressive. On two different occasions, they almost beat us and even seize our public address system. Their anger is that we have collected palliative stimulus and refused to hand it over to them,” Finnin explained her frustration.
Reaction from residents
Omotunde Lawson, Founder and Director, ChristHill College, Apple Junction, Amuwo-Odofin, was convinced that there is some truth in the viral audio.
According to her, especially with regards to how careless people have been, and the mad rush to go out before the directive on compulsory wearing of face mask was pronounced, “it is most likely that the COVID 19 Cases would eventually increase in Amuwo-Odofin LGA.“
Lawson, a retired director with the Lagos State Ministry of Education, recalled that “when I heard about the viral audio, I was singularly upset and scared to the bone marrow.
She added that she had had to turn back on several occasions upon seeing outrageous crowd at one of the supermarkets where she had wanted to go and shop.
“So, the possibility of it (COVID 19) being more than what is being reported is possible,” she insisted.
Fatimah Hassan, a resident of Festac Town, she was not initially scared when she heard the message until when her friends and loved ones, who know where she resides, started calling to check up on her and warning her to keep safe, an act she claimed further inflamed her anxiety.
The situation became so panicky that she started developing imaginary symptoms of the coronavirus.
“I became very scared. In fact, I began to have an imaginary symptom of the virus and I became worried. I started feeling Migraine, coughing and having weakness of the body. I became so worried
“During this time, as bad as my situation was, I was not actually scared for myself, I was more scared about the places I might have been to, persons I might have come in contact with, what would be their fates if it is found that I have the virus, and that I have infected them all. The thought was troubling,” she disclosed.
Speaking with The ICIR, Pastor B.D.N Olalowo, founder and Minister of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Wonder-Land, located in Maza-Maza, is worried that the area, which is an extension of Festac has not been adequately attended to.
His concerns stemmed from the fact that throughout the lockdown, people still moved freely and unprotected, with many disregarding the existence of Coronavirus.
“Maza-Maza is an extension of Ajegunle. Though not the typical squalor you find in Ajegunle, but it is equally densely populated here also. You can find family of six, seven, eight and as much as 10 in a room apartment.
“God forbid a spread of the disease to such a family, the spillover effect is best imagined. That is why I want to use this medium to plead to the government to come to our aid in Maza-Maza. Even after the lockdown, they should not take their eyes off the people here,” Olalowo pleaded.
A resident of Amuwo Odofin Phase II Estate, Mrs. Emetonjor Joy Iheoma, said her family had fled their home to take refuge in her mother in-law’s house at Ije, Ijegun, a place she considered safer.
According to her, “we have fled our home in Amuwo Phase II, partly because of the fear of contracting the virus.
Staying close to family during the lockdown is even healthier for one, she said.
“In this place we are now, we have my mother in-law, who I am also taking good care of, including my husband and my little angel daughter, Jane.
“I feel very safe here and so scared of returning home, especially with the news of the spreading of the virus there,” she added.
Inside Amuwo-Odofin COVID-19 Testing Centre
At about 2:31pm on Tuesday April 28, a young man walked into the Henry Ajomale Hall, a special facility set-aside for the COVID -19 testing inside the Amuwo-Odofin council Secretariat.
He identified himself as David (surname withheld). Of average height and suspected to be in his mid-30s, the young man, who was clad in blue jean and red shirt, with an Ankara facemask, wasted no time in seeking the attention of the officials of the center.
Please, I need to see the doctor here,” he stammered, as he struggled to form his sentence.
Oladehinde Ebenezer, head of the COVID 19 testing team for the LGA, attended to the young man. This reporter stood still, as he overheard every single word in the conversation between David and the doctor.
David declared himself a COVID 19 patient as he claimed to have been battling the symptoms of the deadly disease for days.
As he expressed himself, he would turn his head aside to let out some hard coughs.
According to the World Health Organisation, dry cough is one of the early symptoms of the Coronavirus infection.
“I, I, I, can’t breadth well,” he started, explaining that he had been “having severe headache, body pains and serious cough” for some days now.
“My cough has been dry and painful too. My chest has been inflamed by this painful cough, and I can hardly breadth well also,” he complained to the doctor.
With the calmness of an experienced professional, Ebenezer tried to calm David’s frayed nerves, dispelling his fear of contracting the deadly virus.
“Young man, these symptoms look similar to that of the trigger signs of COVID 19 truly, but they don’t necessarily mean you are already a carrier of the virus, only a test would confirm that,” he told David, who interjected, insisting he is almost sure of what he was saying and needs urgent attention.
“In that case, I would please ask you to come back tomorrow (Wednesday, April 29, 2020) morning for your test,” Dr. Ebenezer ended the conversation, bidding him farewell.
Unsurprisingly, David’s complaint typical of daily experience at the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Secretariat, since April 12, 2020, when the NCDC, in partnership with Lagos State government, approved the location of the COVID 19 Central Testing Center within the premises.
There is also a Mobile Testing Center assembled to reinforce the capability of the center, but with a different mandate to comb the nooks and crannies of streets and inner suburbs of the adjoining communities.
In taking advantage of these facilities, residents of the local government and others like Apapa and Ajeromi/Ifelodun, Ojo, and Badagry, especially those with suspicious symptoms synonymous with Coronavirus, throng the centers on a daily basis to confirm their status.
As they filed in every morning, they are seated under a canopy carefully set up for them. Most of the visitors are visibly scared, trying as much as possible to conceal their face with caps and facemasks.
“I am so scared, my Lord. I don’t want to die now. Please save me. I will continue to be grateful to you my Lord,” one of the waiting ‘patients’ burst into tears, provoking a teary emotion in other fear-stricken visitors waiting for their turn to be tested.
It was observed that once samples are collected and test conducted, the results are often communicated to the affected individuals privately.
This is done by NCDC through direct SMS sent to the mobile number of the individual concerned. There is high level confidentiality in the way the messages are conveyed to the concerned individuals.
According to investigation, the average test or sample collected on a daily basis at the center hovers between 12 and 15, plus additional 20 or 25 from the door-to-door campaign from the mobile team.
THE Minister of health on Thursday during the Presidential Task Force (PTF) daily briefing on COVID-19 has said he is unaware of the whereabouts of the Chinese doctors and health professionals who were brought to Nigeria last month to help the country in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the daily briefing in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, wondered why Nigerians were so much interested in knowing the whereabouts of the Chinese health professionals and advised journalists not to ask him the question again.
Controversy has earlier trailed the choice of the Federal Government to invite the Chinese doctors to Nigeria, as many groups and associations, including the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), kicked against it.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) then described the move of inviting the Chinese as “a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions.”
The federal government then defended the invitation and appealed to Nigerians to accept the decision.
But in what seems to be a total reversal of argument, the Minister of Health, on Thursday, said that the ministry was not their host and does not know their whereabouts, adding that the ministry cannot explain “because they are not really our guests.”
He said the visitors were staff of the CCECC as many of them are technicians.
“There seems to be a lot of interest in these doctors, but they are staff of a company and I think they are on the company visa. So, I will be very happy if you don’t ask me about where they are because they are not really our guests in that sense.”
However, the minister said, “We have been able to learn some things from them by interacting with them from their experience in their country. They did tell us, and we shared ideas about what they did in their country, how they are managing COVID-19.”
The team of Chinese medical experts arrived in Abuja on April 8, with medical equipment and supplies valued at US$1.5 million, donated by the Chinese government.
During a press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus after their arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Ehanire said that Chinese public health experts, not doctors, were being sent to help Nigeria. Their purpose was to strengthen the public health capacity and advise on processes and procedures.
