Helpless Kano

Globally, we are all grappling with more than we could have ever bargained for, and the whole world seems to be on standstill because of the unexpected pandemic that takes us as prisoners in our own homes.

Nigeria is not left out and the government and its agencies are working assiduously, so it seems, to contain the spread of the deadly virus. But aren’t we being too carried away by this pandemic to the extent that we are neglecting other important issues of life and death?

The response of the Kano State government attributing the mysterious death ravaging the state to hypertension, diabetes, meningitis and acute malaria seems elusive and obtuse. Their lack of understanding of what the word ‘contagious’ means better explains the level of intelligence of the people we elect to rule over us and protect lives and properties. The governor and his doctors need to explain the science they employed in determining the cause of the mysterious mass deaths as hypertension, diabetes and acute malaria.

The state government went further through its Commissioner for Information, asking residents not to panic as the government is on top of the situation and the mystery or whatever it is will soon be unraveled. The question is, when? Is it until everyone is struck dead? Who would they govern if the worst case scenario happens as it looks like peoples’ lives seem unimportant to them? Their body language says a lot, and unlike their response, it seems that the situation is on top of the state government and not as they claim.

The issue in Kano State is, no doubt, beyond the state’s medical emergency response team and the state is doing nothing in asking for help.

The Federal Government and Kano State should work together and up their game by immediately dealing with this menace before it gets out of hand. The World Health Organization (WHO) should be called upon as a matter of urgency to determine the cause of the mass deaths. This time is critical and we have too much to deal with on our plate at present, so it is unimaginable what will happen if we pretend as if all is well.

Akintunde Ishola

[email protected]

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING

Customs Closes Gate To Stop Oyo Govt From Returning 1,800 Bags Of Rice
The imbroglio between the Oyo State government and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the 1,800 bags of rice continued on Wednesday with the Oyo/Osun command closing its gate and refusing the state government access into its Ibadan premises to return the bags of rice… Read full story

Nigeria To Fully Repay N1.224trn IMF Loan By 2025
Nigeria is to fully repay the $3.4 billion (N1.224 trillion at N360/$1) International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan approved on Tuesday by 2025. This is as a finance expert, Professor Uche Uwaleke, warned that government’s decision to take the loan was unreasonable… Read full story

Covid-19: Osun Raises Alarm Over Influx Of Zamfara Youths Into State
Osun State government on Wednesday night raised the alarm over the influx of Zamfara youths into the state. The Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Prince Adeyanju Abdullah Binuyo, who disclosed this in an interview, said the government was aware of the influx but urged the residents… Read full story

Herbal Solution To Combat Coronavirus Will Be Ready Soon, Says Ooni Of Ife
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Wednesday, said that the herbal solution to fight the coronavirus dpandemic is at the advanced stage with traditional medicine practitioners. The traditional ruler made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, shortly after donating two… Read full story

Vaccines: UK To Spend £330m Per Year On 75m Children In Poor Countries
The UK, on Wednesday, confirmed that it will be the largest supporter of the international alliance to vaccinate children against deadly diseases, saving millions of lives… Read full story

Runny Nose, Sneezing Unlikely Signs Of COVID-19
When Mrs Adene Haruna returned home from the office, she immediately decided on self-isolation because she had been with a colleague with a cold and who was feeling unwell a few days back that was later confirmed to have COVID-19… Read full story

Covid-19: Kano Govt Arrests Fleeing Patient, Trails Two Others
The Director Infection Control Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and chairman, Risk Communication Committee on COVID-19, Professor Isah Abubakar has confirmed the arrest of one of the three patients who fled after testing positive for coronavirus in Kano State… Read full story

COVID-19: Governors To Establish Common Macroeconomic Assumptions For 2020 Budget Review
In response to the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sub-national governments, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Secretariat on Wednesday unveiled plans to provide technical assistance to state governments to establish common macroeconomic assumptions that will help states prepare revised budgets for 2020… Read full story

Lagos Govt Suspends Okada Operations, Says Buses, Others To Carry 60% Of Passenger Capacity
Lagos State government on Wednesday introduced strict framework for movement and re-opening of businesses ahead of the Monday expiration of the lockdown imposed by the Federal Government on Lagos, Ogun states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)… Read full story

65 Fun Seekers Land In Police Net For Holding Birthday Party Inside Hotel In Lagos
Sixty five people who came to have a birthday party at a hotel in Lagos State on Wednesday have been arrested by men of the state police command. They were arrested while dancing and making merry at Park Hotel, 84, Augusto Close, Oko Oba in Lagos, as some of them, including women, were found with hard drugs… Read full story

Hope Rises For Akeugbagold’s Twins As Abductors Communicate With Family’s ‘Big Brother’
There is hope in the horizon for the release of the abducted twin of Ibadan-based Islamic cleric, Taofeek Akeugbagold, as the abductors have established line of communication with the family. Tribune Online gathered that the abductors are communicating not with the parents of the twins but with someone referred to… Read full story

EDITORIAL: Covid-19: Evacuating Nigerians Abroad
THE report that there are 300 Nigerians awaiting evacuation from the Guangzhou province of China is one which should make the blood of every patriotic Nigerian boil. According to the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), the Nigerians consisting of businesswomen and men are currently starving, having… Read full story

The Role Of Traditional Rulers – Sanusi The Genius: A Case Study (6)
IN rounding off my discussions on the paramountcy of traditional rulership in pre-colonial and post-independent Nigeria, I consider it expedient to reiterate the need to accord monarchs and traditional chiefs across Nigeria the much-needed constitutional recognition in the running of governmental affairs across the… Read full story