Lockdown: Uproar in Osun as govt flouts own social distancing order while distributing food items

- Some people of Osun state have registered their displeasure over the failure of the state government to abide by its own law

- The government had ordered the residents to stay at home and maintain social distancing in all their dealings to prevent the spread of COVID-19

- But the same government flouted its order of social distancing during the distribution of food items to the people

Despite warnings issued by the government at all levels that people should engage in frequent hand washing and social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria, some state governments have failed to work their talks in the efforts to rid the country of the deadly disease.

It was reported that although the Lagos state which has the highest cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria has done well in containing the disease by sensitising the residents of the state to maintain social distancing, the crowd that greeted the arraignment of a Nollywood star, Funke Akindele, for violating lockdown law, revealed how the state government violated its own rule.

Legit.ng's regional reporter in Osun state, Ibrahim Akinola, reports that the story was not different in the state as revealed during the distribution of food items to the people of the state to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown.

It was gathered that no fewer than hundreds of people gathered at Ikire, the headquarters of Irewole local government, in the early morning of Wednesday, April 8, to receive the largesse.

Several sources from the Iyana Ègbá area of the town confirmed that a multitude of people has already jam-packed the area as early as 7:00 am to collect their shares.

Speaking with Legit.ng, some residents expressed their minds over the distribution of the food items.

A resident of the area who declined to have his name in print described the event as a charade, lamenting that the government could not follow its own rule but ordered the arrest of anybody who violates the law.

He said: "This is nothing but a disgusting charade. Why our leaders this careless? You keep people indoors, closed market, locked mosques and churches. You directed them to avoid any gathering of more than twenty people or so, and that they should maintain social distancing of 2 metre or thereabout.

"Yet, you cannot practise and uphold your own simple directive and lead by example. Can't you see? On this single line, we have more than fifty people packed together like sardine fish. See the entrance? You have hundreds of people overcrowded together.

"The security personnel are there, the deputy governor's staff are present mingling with people freely. Are these people immuned against the coronavirus? Can't they contract and spread it in that way?."

It was observed that there was nearly a pandemonium when some security officials allegedly working for the deputy governor arrested a lady who was recording the event with her camera phone.

She was accosted and taken inside the building, ordered to delete the recorded video and was later released with the timely intervention of some people.

Another resident, Isaac berated the government officials for preventing people from recording the exercise, adding that people are likely to contract the disease the way they are arranged during the distribution process.

He said: "Why are you preventing people from recording and snapping you if what you are doing is good, praiseworthy and reasonably commendable? A whole deputy governor sharing "garri." This is uncalled-for.

"You locked people down by force tentatively for two weeks. You are even planning to extend it for another two weeks. All you could come with is this ridiculous package. Even with that, you are exposing them to the virus you claim to fight."

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state on Thursday, April announced the result of coronavirus pandemic test he undertook days after he tested positive of the deadly disease.

It was reported that in a tweet posted on his Twitter handle @SenBalaMohammed, the governor said he is now tested negative for the deadly disease.

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Source: Legit.ng