The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has berated the governor of the state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, over the manner at which COVID:19 was being handled in the state.
According to the PDP in a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s Director of Media and Publicity, Zadok Akintoye, the declaration of curfew in the state by the governor over the deadly coronavirus indicates that Akeredolu lacked administrative competence.
Recall that Akeredolu had on Tuesday imposed a 7pm to 7am curfew in the state as part of moves to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state following three confirmed cases recorded in the state.
While stressing that Ondo residents were not used to night crawling, the PDP stated that a total lockdown ought to have been declared instead of curfew if the Akeredolu-led government is sincere in the battle against the virus.
The statement read, “The recently announced curfew which prohibits movement of citizens from 07.00pm to 07.00am, here again shows a government that is totally ignorant of the culture of its people.
“To declare a total prohibition of movement only during the night shows that Mr. Akeredolu is disconnected from the people and totally unaware of the nature of Ondo state. Is Akeredolu suggesting that the virus is inactive in the daytime?
“Our people rarely gather in clusters at night and the larger percentage of citizens in Ondo state rarely stays outside their homes at this time. To restrict movements to night time, is at best playing to the gallery and a cheap shot at seeking political benefit from a people whose very lives are threatened by the governor’s inefficiency.
“What the governor should do to safeguard the lives of our people is to totally shut down movement across the state without delay. The lives of our citizens are far more valuable that any selfish political benefit.
PDP further added that, “government must wake up to its responsibility of providing clearly defined palliatives and incentives at this time, which must include tax incentives and cuts to persons and businesses affected by this pandemic, provision of free access to adequate healthcare for women and children and must ensure that it provides subsidized food items for the most vulnerable citizens within the state during this period.
“It is time for the ODSG to sit up and stop playing to the gallery as our lives are threatened by this invisible virus.”
