COVID-19: Lagos must apologise, pardon Funke Akindele et al - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

A lot have been revealed on the insincerity of government and governance in the country, mostly by the Lagos State government led by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which has now left a little to be desired, given the incidences that followed demise of former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Malam Abba Kyari, on night of Friday, April 17, 2020.

At first his administration declared lockdown in Lagos, associated to ravaging ChineseVirus-19 also known as Coronavirus or COVID-29; closing markets and reducing gathering to 25, hence the Funke Akindele family birthday batch for the husband landed her in trouble soon after. I do not need to recount all negative commercial sides of that messy exercise and trauma she and her family as well as friends went through because of this law.

Barely a week after she has been sentenced to 14-day community service and fine of N100 each for her and husband, the news broke that the former top official of Buhari administration, Abba Kyari, was reportedly flown into Lagos, a state supposed to be on lockdown as proclaimed by Mr. President and subsequently by states including Lagos State Government under Sanwo-Olu.

Aside that Lagos State was on lockdown and flights were not allowed across the country, Sanwo-Olu government allowed an indigenous index case to be flown into its space, yet the State commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, denied his whereabout, only to turn around two weeks later that they approved a facility, precisely the First Cardiology Consultants, Ikoyi in Lagos State, where the CoS eventually died.

The state government, through the Commissioner of Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, confirmed to newsmen Saturday that due to enquiries by Nigerians, it was necessary to announce that the chief of staff died on Friday in the hospital.

As if Lagosians have not heard enough of government telling what some observers classified as lies or misleading statements, the dead corpse was flown out of Lagos air space to Abuja and in between, the report now reaffirmed that even Abba Kyari’s family members where brought to Lagos amidst the lockdown to see him, while they lock citizens in.

Yes, we sympathise with the family over the loss of their loved father, but was that visit utmost necessary given that Lagosians have been locked down or better said that “Lagosians were locked inside”, which began some days before the Buhari’s lockdown national broadcast. Yet, some have not seen pap let alone palliative from government till date.

In all, Gov. Sanwo-Olu has been doing good until this moment, thus, what is the moral burden of still telling or even persuading people to stay at home since government and its officials have elected to play against the rules and even arrest those reportedly making effort to irk a living like artisans, likewise the harassment of Funke Akindele family and friends.

Therefore, its high time that Sanwo-Olu administration in Lagos, not only apologise to Lagosians for flying a national index case to their environment and Funke Akindele family, but moreso grant Funke state pardon. Yes, they, state or government made the lockdown laws, but clearly flaunted it to a chagrin taste.

It is prayed that after the current part 2 of this lockdown by Buhari across Lagos, Ogun and FCT that government at all levels must have gotten their thinking caps right by coming out with outlines to help citizens, especially Lagosians in the post-COVID-19 lockdown economy, which in all intents and purposes go beyond present clamour for palliatives.

Already, the number of robberies across Lagos, have since turned residents on lockdown into untrained vigilante, thereby exposing them to a lot of dangers. And when will this end, remain unclear, even as more cases are being discovered on daily basis.

Whereas Lagosians continue inspite of aforementioned to abide with the rules of constantly washing hands as often as possible under a running tap, for those who have waterworks working in their areas, facemasking will do us a lot good when outside, until vaccines are found.

May God heal our world and dead rest in peace. Amen.

*Contributed by Remmy Nweke

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