COVID-19: Gov Bello slams politicization of COVID-19, says pandemic ‘not new disease’

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Thursday, July 2, alleged that politicians were playing games with the lives of Nigerians through the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was contained in a statement issued by Bello; when the Board of Trustees of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation visited him at the Government House in Lokoja.

He added that it was wrong for anyone to attribute the death of the Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Nasir Ajana, to COVID-19.

Bello further disclosed that the late chief judge had been sick since 2016; adding that the complications that eventually led to his death were caused by the inability to see medical experts attend to him due to the lockdown.

The Kogi State government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had disagreed several times over the state’s COVID-19 status.

While the NCDC had confirmed four COVID-19 cases in Kogi; there were claims the state government deliberately frustrated the agency’s efforts in a bid to drive home its zero COVID-19 status claim.

Bello said: “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 to employment opportunities and provide clothes for face masks to be imported to those countries who have the disease.

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

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has approved Wednesday, July 8 for the resumption of domestic flights.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika on Wednesday in Abuja. He revealed that domestic flights that had been suspended since March 20 would resume fully on the day.

Sirika announced this in a statement signed by Mr James Odaudu, the Director of Public Affairs, in the ministry.

Further, he revealed that the domestic flights would commence at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; as well as the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

However, the Port Harcourt, Owerri, Maiduguri and Kano airports will reopen to flights on July 11; while other airports across the country will join on July 15.