COVID 19: Ogiyan, Ejigbo leaders, Ivory Coast returnees commend Oyetola

Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State has been lauded for his prompt and responsive efforts in ensuring that he contains the spread of COVID-19 in the state, especially in Ejigbo town by traditional and political leaders of Ejigbo town and the returnees from Ivory Coast.

The Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode, while commending Governor Oyetola on his efforts in containing the spread of coronavirus, described him as an effective governor and a man of his word who had kept his promises to the people, adding that his performance speaks for him.

“I am not a politician and I am in the position to assess anybody and tell him the correct thing. Governor Gboyega Oyetola has tried for us; that hospital, he promised us that it will be ready in about three months and it was completed before three months. He also did our fire station, he gave us a new one which we never had for over 47 years and apart from that, the Ejigbo-Osogbo road which we use is completely changed. We don’t belong to any political party though people can assume otherwise we are judging him on his face value and efforts, he is a very nice governor and very good to us. He kept his promises,” Ogiyan said.

Supporting Oba Oyeyode’s assertion, the Asiwaju of Ejigbo land, Chief Atilade Adebowale, said, “We want to thank our state government for being proactive in tackling the spread of coronavirus because it has been contained seriously and we also want to thank everybody in the COVID-19 task force team who had been working round the clock to ensure that we have a safe community. These people belong to us and they are coming from our second home which is Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Most of us have our relatives over there, there is nowhere to push them, we have to accommodate them in Ejigbo and all the support that we need has been given to us by the Osun State government. I advise my people not to be careless; wash your hand, protect your mouth, nose and maintain the one-meter distance. If you don’t help yourself, the government cannot help you and when you are careless, there is nothing government can do,” he said.

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A former speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly who is an indigene of Ejigbo, Najeem Folasayo Salam, said “the prompt action of the state government on the Ivory Coast returnees case especially in Ejigbo Local Government Area, is very accurate and for that, he has curbed the damage that the virus would have done in my town, the state and Nigeria as a whole. Governor Oyetola is a man that responds to the immediate needs of his people and for this, we commend him. We appreciate how he stepped into the matter,

“We also appeal to him to further extend his kindness to us because we are travellers in this part of the state and our people are still coming back home. Those that have been receiving treatment are clinically stable and doctors said they are giving them the required clinical aid and we hope that in few days to come, there will be another test to determine their status whether negative or still positive,” he said.

Some of the 127 Ivory Coast returnees also commended the Osun State government. Alhaji Mojeed Animasaun, said what the Osun Government did was surprising, adding that “initially we didn’t understand but we later understood the good that they did. We thank the government, we didn’t know we will get this kind of treatment, we got medical treatment, we were fed and all our needs supplied; toiletries, groceries and many more. We are deeply grateful.”

Ifoma Okafor also stated that she was initially annoyed because she felt the government was being high handed, adding that “I later found that it was to save our lives, they took good care of us and I am happy that my COVID-19 status was negative. I appreciate the Osun state government for this.”

“We thank the governor for how they took up the matter and ensured our needs are met. We first felt it was a joke but along the line, we understood how serious the matter is. Even those that tested negative but had other ailments were treated. We thank them,” Isau Fatai Afonja, an indigene of Ejigbo said.

The 110 that tested negative to COVID-19 have been released to their families in different states; 11 were released to Oyo, two to Lagos, one to Ogun, three to Edo, three to Abia, four to Delta, one to Imo and 85 remained in Osun while those that are still positive are undergoing treatment at the Osun COVID-19 Isolation Centre Ejigbo.

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