An entrepreneur based in Makurdi, Benue State capital, Chief Isaac Akinkunmi, on Tuesday, donated 3,500 face masks to commercial motorcycle riders popularly known as ‘Okada riders’ and traders in the state capital.
Akinkunmi who donated the facemasks as part of its contribution to the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the state said that the gesture was borne out of the need to help in flattening the curve of the global pandemic currently ravaging the globe.
He charged all okada riders in the capital city as well as traders to keep to all the safety precautions especially hand washing, use of hand sanitizers and social distancing so as to curb the spread of the dreaded disease.
Explaining the reasons behind the government directive to shut down worship centres or any public place, Chief Akinkunmi said that it was to reduce the number of those who are daily being infected with the deadly disease.
He urged the motorcyclists to always wear their masks to reduce the spread of the virus to the next person, stressed that if an infected person is in close contact with them, the masks could reduce the free flow of the virus.
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“The bad thing about this disease is that most infected people are asymptomatic for about 14 days. Such persons can go about for 14 days without manifesting the symptoms but they can be infecting other people without even knowing they have it.
“That is the reason why we need to regard the next person as a carrier and be safety conscious.”
Chairman Benue State Motorcycle Riders Association (BENMOA) Nyiutsa Matthew and Chairman, GSM Traders Association, Peter Ndibuisi appreciated the management of Tito Group of Companies for the gesture and promised that a task force would be put in place to ensure that their members put the facemasks to judicious use.
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