Follow Us on Google
Tony John, Port Harcourt
The immediate past Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, has declared his support Governor Nyesom Wike on the fresh lockdown of Bonny and Onne, in Eleme local overnment areas.
Peterside also called on Rivers government to establish more testing centres across the state, following the increasing number of people testing positive to coronavirus.
Wike had on Saturday declared a lockdown in both areas, which took effect yesterday, to check the spread of coronavirus owing to a large number of people testing positive to COVID-19.
Peterside called on the governor to make more testing centres available as soon as possible, pointing out that the state government has sufficient resources to provide such a critical facility for the citizenry.
“It won’t be out of the place for the Wike-led administration to provide more testing centres across the state. We have the resources and manpower to do so, especially as more countries in Europe are easing their lockdown. It means we can quickly reach manufacturers unlike before and get these equipment delivered to the state. Many states that are less endowed than Rivers are already investing in establishing test centres, as it is for the ultimate good of their people.
“All the federal constituencies in the state should have a testing centre at their headquarters, while also encouraging people to have a walk in to be tested like it is being done in many places. The more we are able to test, the better for us as a people,” he stressed.
The former NIMASA boss, however, stressed that the lockdown would make no meaning, if aggressive contact tracing was not carried out.
“I support the lockdown to ensure that we stop the spread of the deadly virus; but doing so without aggressive contact tracing will amount to motion without movement.”
