Dino Melaye, a former lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has insisted that reports of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kogi State is real.
Naija News reports that the Kogi State Government had rejected the report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that two cases of COVID-19 were recorded within the province.
Saka Haruna Audu, Kogi health commissioner, had said the state government developed a “full testing capacity” and “conducted hundreds of tests” which have all come back negative.
Recall that NCDC had the contrary position as the centre revealed that two people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.
However, In the statement, Audu said the state would not be a party “to any fictitious COVID-19 claims”.
“Kogi State till this very moment is Covid-19 free. We have developed full testing capacity and have conducted hundreds of tests so far which have come back negative,” he said.
“We have also continued to insist that we will not be a party to any fictitious COVID-19 claims which is why we do not recognise any COVID-19 test conducted by any Kogite outside the boundaries of the State except those initiated by us.“Any attempt to force us to announce a case of COVID-19 will be vehemently rejected.”
Reacting in a statement on Saturday, Melaye said he knows one of the COVID-19 patients from Kabba.
He said: “I want to announce that the Covid-19 case in Kogi is real and authentic and cannot understand why any responsible government will want to deny and invariably kill her citizens.
“One of the cases is from Kabba and the victim is personally known to me. I cannot be part of those who will play politics with the lives of my people.
“COVID-19 is real but not a death sentence, if handled early enough. Family members of the Kabba victim who got a referral to Abuja from federal medical centre in Lokoja and all those who had contact with him should please surrender themselves for a test so as to curtail the spread.
“Kogi State government must come down from her imaginary high horse and start contact tracing to help curtail the spread. It is illogical to think we will be free with our proximity to affected states.”
source https://www.naijanews.com/2020/05/30/covid-19-in-kogi-is-real-i-wont-play-politics-with-lives-dino-melaye/
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