Minna
The Governor of Niger state, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has gone into srlf-isolation with a directive to all his cabinet members, including his Personal Aides to follow suit.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mary Noel Berje,said this in a statement she made available to journalists on Wednesday in Minna.
She said with the in self-isolation, series of tests would be run to know governor’s status.
The governor’s aide quoted her boss as saying that Bello embarked on self isolation because as a public figure, he must have had contacts with some confirmed Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) cases.
Bello, she added, chose self- isolation due to his outing at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting on March, 18, whereby almost all the Governors were in attendance plus other public engagements.
According to the chief press secretary, Bello also attended the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting and the World Bank breakfast meeting.
“As a way of leading by example, I have placed myself on isolation and waiting to be tested, along with members of my family, “the governor said.
He, however, threw his weight behind the directive that all the Governors that attended the stipulated meetings go on self isolation including their close aides, family members and people they had come in contact with thereafter.
Bello said the move was necessary as a safety measure against the spread of the pandemic disease and to ascertain the health status of those concerned.
The governor’s aide, however called for calm,adding that measures were being put in place by the state government to contain the pandemic diseases.
‘‘Such efforts are not meant to punish Nigerlites but to help in protection of their lives,” the chief press secretary said.
While calling on citizens not to panic, Noel Berje enjoined them to keep strictly to the simple personal hygiene procedures.
The procedures she said include: washing of hands, social distance, avoid crowded areas and as well restricting their movements in and out of the state.
Duaglobalnews, an online publication, reports that some traders defied the curfew imposed in the state to check the spread of COVID-19, as they were seen in one of the markets in Minna and Suleja, selling outside the markets.
Some commercial motorcyclists and tricycles operators also defied the order and went about normal businesses in some parts of the state capital, Minna.
However, there was total compliant to the order in some parts of Minna, including areas along the Abdulkadir Kure Ultra modern market, Obasanjo shopping complex, Mobil round about, Bosso and Western by-pass.
The situation was entirely different in places like Tunga/Chanchaga market in Suleja, one of the commercial hubs near Abuja as business men and women defied the clampdown by soldiers to stay at home by going about in search of daily bread.
