Covid-19: I’m yet to receive one Naira from FG – Gov Emmanuel

…announces guidelines on conducting burials, weddings

Governor Udom Emmanuel has stated that Akwa Ibom State Government has not received any financial assistance from the federal government in the fight against Covid-19.

The governor, who made this known during a routine media chat to update citizens on efforts of state government in tackling the Covid-19 scourge, asserted that it was important to clear the misconception that the state was being supported financially by the federal government in this direction.

“As I’m talking to you, I’m yet to receive one Naira from the federal government for the fight against Covid-19. A lot of people believe we are doing all these things because the federal government has given us so much money. No, not at all. We do this because we see our responsibility to save lives and I had said that I will be at the forefront of this fight”. Gov Udom stated.

He admonished citizens that despite all what his administration has done to keep the state safe, the primary responsibility to remain to save doesn’t rest with the governor, health workers or government, but rests on an individual adult citizen of the state.

Governor Emmanuel seized the platform to thank Akwa Ibom people, corporate organizations and development partners that have worked with the state to salvage the situation, saying ” it’s been a very challenging time and as I said during the last briefing that if God does not take this away as we have prayed then we must find a way to survive”.

“Let me appreciate all our health workers, security agents, Christian Association of Nigeria, political and other stakeholders and all our citizens who have shown understanding and cooperation within this period. I appreciate those who obey the guidelines and even those who do not obey, but mainly people working in our case management centres, call centres and security agents who have done a fantastic job within this period”.

While acknowledging the support of the media in the fight and soliciting continued understanding and support from citizens, he revealed that one of those who criticized his administration’s response to Covid-19 was unfortunately stricken by the infection and the same medical facilities and system he condemned were used to treat him.

“Today, if you ask him, I’m sure he will say something different. So, be rest assured that every decision is taken, every guideline by this government is to protect lives and that is the primary aim. We give out these guidelines based on advice from experts

On the conduct of funerals and weddings, the governor said that his administration has made certain reviews upon the advice from experts to accommodate these very important social events.

“I gave a commitment that in my next appointment with this media chat that I will clear the air in terms of funerals. I want to say that having reviewed the situation, I want to, first of all, express our sympathy to those who have lost their loved ones during this period.

“I know how we celebrate death, but given the situation we are in, let’s try and adjust. For funerals, we have to come to an understanding that if you are doing funeral in an open, you will take not more than 50 people and must adhere to all CAN/AKSG guidelines.

“I’ve heard so many churches say they are not members of CAN, if you are not a member of CAN, and don’t obey government guidelines then you are not supposed to operate in Akwa Ibom because everybody must submit themselves to law and order.

“If you are doing the obsequies in the church you are not supposed to be more than 30. We’ll send out our monitoring teams to monitor this. Don’t call us bad names because you want to be above the law, nobody is above the law. For those who want to do a wedding, I know there are a lot of emotions attached to these. It’s the same guideline, 50 outside and 30 inside. It’s even cost-effective at this time.

The governor warned that there is a need for vigilance among citizens because data of global transmission of the infection shows that there may be a second upsurge of the infection. He pleaded that government does not want anyone to be exposed to the virus, urging ” if you must go out wearing a mask. If you don’t feel like wearing the mask please stay at home. A lot of people are asymptomatic and keep infecting other people without knowing.

“I wouldn’t want this to continue. We cannot share our experience in what we’ve gone through in managing this infection. It’s extremely expensive and then we are running out of stock of some of the drugs we are using to treat patients and we don’t know how to replenish them since they are not manufactured in Nigeria. We don’t want to get to the point where we are overwhelmed”.

He announced that the government is planning on setting up support facilities at isolation centres to carter for testing blood sugar, blood pressure and other co-morbidities that would make the management of Covid-19 complicated.

On the increase in a number of infected cases, he explained that this is as a result of his appeal during the last media chat that any indigene of Akwa Ibom anywhere in the world that is infected should find his/her way back home for testing and proper treatment.

“So, when you see the spike in a number of infections doesn’t be frightened, our cases are still quite low compared to figures around the globe, glory to God, not man. We keep thanking God for what is happening in Akwa Ibom state. People come in from neighbouring states, there was a time we checked our border control and counted over 265 vehicles that came in.

He disclosed that Akwa Ibom people from other states are coming in for treatment, saying the state will treat them because they are citizens but they shouldn’t lie about where they are coming from since this information will be useful during contact tracing.