Residents of Offa in Offa local government area of Kwara State have lamented cases of stigmatisation by people in the neighbouring communities against them over recent cases of coronavirus recorded in the area.
It will be recalled that the two cases of the pandemic virus had links with the ancient town, while the state government had gone ahead to place the town on total lockdown for an initial period of 14 days starting from 6:00 pm on Wednesday.
Speaking during a phone chat on a cable TV station monitored on Thursday, the traditional ruler of Offa, Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, said people from neighbouring towns and communities in the state would no longer want to have any dealings with people living in Offa because of the coronavirus.
The traditional ruler, who said he had stepped in to address the matter with affected leaders in affected towns and communities, said that a commercial motorcycle operator, who decided to relocate to his town from Offa over lockdown order, was denied entry.
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“Right now, since everyone is locked down we wouldn’t know anything of stigmatisation of such among our people here.
However, from other communities, it is believed that when you’re from Offa you cannot go to any other community around you. They would say, eehh!! He’s brought corona! He’s brought corona!! That’s just it, but people have been calling me and I’ve been trying to let them know that coming from Offa or working in Offa and relocating to your village because of the coronavirus lockdown does not mean you have the disease. So, I’ve been speaking to traditional rulers in the neighbouring communities and they’re complying and speaking to their people.
“A case like that happened yesterday when in a community an okada rider decided to relocate to his town from Offa because of the lockdown and had to be driven away from his town. His people said he has coronavirus because he’s coming from Offa”, he said.
The monarch, who said that there’s serious panic among residents of the area on the connection of the two cases of coronavirus with the town, coupled with the lockdown order by the state government, added that everyone had kept indoors and obeying personal protection activities to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Deputy Governor of the state was with me here yesterday (Wednesday) and he took about 78 people who may have had contact with the deceased that died of suspected coronavirus for isolation.
“On our part as a people, we’ve been educating our people even before now on the pandemic. Our people are all aware of what’s happening. Most of the people are coming out willingly to say they visited the house of the deceased, who reportedly died of coronavirus for burial and to sympathise with the wife.
They also asked we should tell them what next to do. And we tell them that they should quarantine themselves in isolated places for 14 days, while the NCDC people would be checking on them from time to time. They are all ready to cooperate. That’s how we were able to get a huge number of about 78 people in two days because all of them are ready to cooperate. They’re willingly submitting themselves for a check-up”, he said.
On palliatives for people during the lockdown, Oba Gbadamosi said that the community associations, the Offa Descendants Union (ODU) and the rest have done a lot to ameliorate sufferings of the people aside from that of the state government by distributing cash, food items and disinfectant.
The traditional ruler said that his people are ready to cooperate with the state government in order to eradicate the disease.
“We’ve been observing the issue before Offa had the two cases of the coronavirus. We’ve been telling people to wash their hands with soap and water, use sanitizer and to keep a social distance. Knowing us for what we are, we’re educated and people are doing what’s expected of them. Even before the lockdown, the police and men of the civil defence were in markets to control crowd to make people observe social distance”, he said.
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