The Kogi State government has responded to the report that it is a high-risk state for COVID-19 in the country.
Recall that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 had on Monday declared Kogi State as a high risk for the COVID-19 pandemic for refusing to acknowledge the existence of the disease, not reporting testing and not having isolation centres.
National Incident Manager of the PTF, Mukhtar Muhammad, who declared this at the national briefing of the PTF in Abuja, warned Nigerians against visiting the state as a precautionary measure.
This is as he said that having analyzed the pandemic in the country, 22 high burdened local government areas within 13 states in the country have been identified.
Reacting to the PTF’s report, the Kogi State Commissioner for information and communication, Kingsley Fanwo accused the PTF of creating alarm to send investors away from the state.
He said the PTF is attacking the state because of its unique approach to managing the pandemic to reduce its adverse effects on the people of the state.
He said, “Despite their unreliable figures, Kogi emerged as the preferred investment destination of Nigeria in the last quarter of 2020. They felt embarrassed and the best way to hit back is to create a picture of health crisis in the state.
Kogi was the first state to procure face masks in thousands and distributed to all the councils, as well as the first to set up a team to combat the spread of the virus.
We set up isolation centres with state-of-the-art equipment. We have done sensitisation more than any other state. So if we don’t believe that COVID-19 exists, we won’t be doing all we are doing to ensure it doesn’t ravage our state.
What we said and still saying is that COVID-19 is not worth all the marketing going on just for a few to make billions; that we do not have to suffer innocent Nigerians while a few smile to the banks.”
