Since Nigeria, nay Ogun State, recorded the index case of coronavirus disease by an Italian national, who had come on a business trip to a cement facility in Ewekero area of the state, the efforts to contain the spread of the virus have been a major concern of the Dapo Abiodun-led administration in the state.
The state government intensified its efforts by sensitising residents of the state on how deadly the disease is, measures that must be observed to contain its spread and other necessary steps to ensure that the disease does not negatively affect the people.
Government ensured that the facility where the case was first recorded was shut down and decontaminated, while those who came in contact with the index case were quarantined and isolated for 14 days.
With this development, government felt the need to increase awareness on measures to prevent further spread. It campaigned for regular washing of hands in flowing water with soap, maintaining social distancing, good personal hygiene and contacting the appropriate authorities if one notices any symptom of coronavirus.
With increase in the number of cases across the country, the state government announced ban on large gatherings that would bring together more than 50 or more persons such as social clubs, halls, cinemas, night clubs, restaurants, cafes, and sports arenas.
Aside from the above-mentioned places, government worried about the global spread of the pandemic, closed down all schools, whether public or private, and banned religious activities as well.
Following the closure of schools, government immediately commenced digital classes for primary and secondary school students in the state on the state-owned television stations.
The programme tagged ‘Ogun Digi Class’ is an intiative of the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, aimed at ensuring that learners still undergo the learning process while on break.
Despite the ban, some religious centres observed prayers in churches and mosques, and enforcement teams comprising only security agents were sent out to ensure compliance with the lockdown order.
As if that was not enough, government ordered all categories of workers in the state civil service to work from home,while all borders, both international and local leading to the state, were ordered to remain closed.
The state governor said the state is constrained to shut its borders with neighbouring states and the international border with the Republic of Benin in order to stem the spread of the virus, not only in the state but in the country and in the West African sub-region.
Speaking on the development, Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State, said: “The position of Ogun State is peculiar. It not only shares an international border with the Republic of Benin, it does so with all other states in the South-West (except Ekiti), including Lagos State, which has understandably recorded the highest number of infections in the country largely because it hosts the busiest air and sea ports and it is the nation’s economic capital.
“The border closure will not only be beneficial to Ogun State but the national efforts to curtail and contain the virus. Lessons from other climes strongly indicate that closure of borders has the potential to drastically flatten the curve of spread whilst unrestricted movement portends grave dangers.”
The state government also established Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) to monitor day-to-day development on the disease in the state. In addition, markets, schools and other public places were decontaminated by government across the state.
Worried by the spread of the virus across the nation, President Muhammadu Buhari, gave a presidential order that Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) be on lockdown for a period of 14 days to stem the spread of the disease.
Governor Abiodun, concerned about the untold hardship of the lockdown on the people of the state, appealed to Buhari for a few days of grace for people to stock up their homes in preparedness for the lockdown.
To cushion the effects of the lockdown, government provided relief packages to the old, poor and vulnerable across the state. The stimulus packages were distributed in phases. However, the gesture became a subject of attack on the government based on the way the first set of packages were shared . The state government immediately re-strategised the approach adopted in sharing the food items.
Other measures taken by the Dapo Abiodun government in tackling the virus are the establishment of isolation centres in Abeokuta, Sagamu and Ikenne for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
The centres include a 128-bed capacity isolation and treatment centre in Ikenne; purpose-built 21-bed isolation and treatment centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu;100-bed capacity at Iberekodo in Abeokuta and the Intensive Care Unit section of the 250-bed hospital in Abeokuta. The governor has also announced that his administration had ordered for the procurement of 20 ventilators for use in some of the centres spread between Ogun East and Central senatorial districts of the state.
As a way of boosting the morale of frontline health workers , the state government also announced special welfare packages for them, in view of their higher risk in contracting the virus while providing. health services to others.
The state government has also provided molecular laboratory to ease the stress of taking patients’ samples to Lagos and Ede, in Osun State, for testing. The laboratory is awaiting the accreditation of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before taking off while drive-through and walk-insample collection centres, have also been put in place.
All the efforts of the Ogun State government received commendation from the NCDC team led by its director-general, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, for its willingess to go the extra mile in ensuring that the state is fully ready to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ihekweazu, who visited Abiodun, alongside the Country Director, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Fiona Braka, in the governor’s country home, Iperu-Remo, said that the Centre for Disease Control is willing to work with the state government.
He added that the centre believed the state deserved to benefit from some of the most stringent support that the centre could offer.
“I think what I have seen in Ogun today and over the past few weeks in my engagement with the commissioner is a willingness to go the extra mile. For us, the job is half done, so on behalf of the National Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation, we are committed to supporting you. You have been on this journey longer than any other state in the country, so you deserve some of the most stringent support that we have,” he said.
In her remarks, Dr Braka applauded the state government for having the capacity that could take in more patients, adding that the WHO is impressed with the state government.
“We are so much impressed and would like to congratulate Your Excellency and your team that has been working very hard. We could not join you for the launching of those isolation facilities…thank you for the invitation. But we are here to see what you have done. We leave with a positive note that there is capacity in Ogun State to take more patients; so congratulations, Ogun State,” she said.
In his remarks, the governor disclosed that the state was fully set to tackle the pandemic, and was set to begin the process of giving face masks to its people as soon as it received the first batch of one million pieces.
The governor disclosed that the setting up of isolation centres and molecular laboratory was through self help, calling on the government at the centre to assist the state financially.
Governor Abiodun enjoined the people of the state to remain calm and cooperate with government, submitting that the fight against COVID-19 is a collective responsibility, adding that efforts had started yielding positive results.
“For us in Ogun State, we thank God that our efforts towards fighting the COVID-19 pandemic to a stand-still are achieving desired results. But we cannot also drop our guards,” he said.
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