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Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki, David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi and Aloysius Attah, Onitsha, Sunday Ani, and Okey Sampson, Umuahia and Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Fear has gripped residents of Imo State following the death of the owner of Fancy Hotel, Umugwuma, Owerri, Christogonus Aguwa Osuagwu in Abuja.
Osuagwu, who flew in from South Africa via Abuja and lodged in his hotel was rumoured to have contracted the virus but violated the isolation rule by the Federal Government and rather returned to Abuja where he reportedly died yesterday morning.
State Chairman of the Hoteliers Association of Nigeria, Chima Chukwunyere, who confirmed this to Daily Sun, however, said the death of Osuagwu remained a mystery.
“We cannot say for sure if he died of COVID-19 or not because he never subjected himself to test, but we know that he had been battling with a kidney problem for a very long time,” Chukwunyere explained.
The hotel has been sealed and all those he came in contact with quarantined, he said.
Meanwhile, Ebonyi Governor, Chief David Umahi, has ordered immediate quarantining of 37 persons that returned recently to the state.
The persons were arrested while attempting to cross into the state through the bush or to escape out of the state covered in truck.
Umahi ordered that they be subjected to daily medical tests for 14 days to ascertain their coronavirus status.
The state government last Saturday shut down all boundaries into the state to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We have 30 Ebonyians that escaped through the bush. One trailer loaded them from the bush. We have seven persons from Abia, Cross River, Delta, Onitsha, and Rivers. So, we are taking the 37 of them and we have prepared a holding down centre in the stadium; we are going to feed them three times a day. The medical team is going to examine them and they are going to stay here for 14-days.
“Every day, we will be testing them. So, we feed them three times a day. There is a provision for them to bath. But my own order is that anybody who wants to escape means he/she has coronavirus and it is shoot at site, that’s my directive to the service chiefs. Nobody will escape.”
Street traders, transposers, others flout stay-at-home order in Nnewi
There was partial compliance in some parts of Anambra State to the order by Governor Willie Obiano.
Daily Sun observed that in Nnewi, banks, street traders,commercial buses, tricycles and motorcyclists were going about their businesses in clear breach of the directive.
Some of the residents expressed anger that they were ordered to stay home for 14 days doing nothing and without any palliative measure. They said it would be difficult to have total compliance to the order.
“How do you expect some of us who depend on daily income to feed our families to be out of job for 14 good days. It is not possible,” said an artisan, who did not want his name mentioned.
However, the motor and motorcycle spare parts sections, old motor spare parts and other sections of Nkwo Nnewi market were under lock and key. Some private offices were open.
However, commercial banks, street stores and major markets in Onitsha all complied with the stay-at-home order. There was, however, an early morning rush to the market by some residents of Onitsha to buy essential items to cope with the lockdown.
Security agents, however, blocked the busy Borromeo/Zik’s roundabout/Awka road in Onitsha diverting traffic to only one lane of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway. This caused serious traffic gridlock leading to long stretch of vehicles up to the Upper Iweka section. The Police said they were acting out the directive from their boss to block the road.
At Nkpor new motor spare parts market, Ogidi building materials market, Onitsha and Ogbaru main market including the popular GSM market at NIMEK plaza remained shut, commercial banks also did not open for business.
President of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu, hailed the traders for their high level of compliance to the directive. He said AMATAS taskforce would continue to monitor daily activities to ensure the directives were not abused.
Enugu lawmaker rallies support for Ugwuanyi, provides logistic assistance
A member representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency 11, in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Innocent Ugwu, has urged his constituents to support efforts by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to contain the spread.
Ugwu stated this, yesterday, in Aji, Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Headquarters, during the COVID-19 sensitisation programme, which he organised for the constituency.
Ugwu commended the governor’s effort at ensuring that the virus does not spread in the state and appealed to the people to obey all health instructions from the State Ministry of Health.
“The governor has done so much to ensure that this dreaded virus does not spread in Enugu State and you must support him to achieve that objective. To do that, you must cultivate the habit of constantly washing your hands with soap and water, especially whenever you come back to your house. You must also ensure that you apply hand sanitisers always. Put on your hand gloves and nose masks whenever you are going out of your house. I also want you to obey the governments order on social distancing. Avoid social gathering as much as you can, at least for this period. Also, listen to any other health safety tips that the state government may release as times goes on,” he said.
PDP Chairman, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, Alex Urama, commended Ugwu for providing safety aids to the people and urged others to emulate his kind gesture.
Chairman of the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Gabriel Agbedo, thanked Governor Uwguanyi and the lawmaker for working to ensure that the lives of the people are secured.
Igbo speaking community seek family support measure
As government intensifies the stay at home measures to further curtail the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 virus on rampage in Lagos,the leadership of Igbo speaking community in Lagos, has called on the government to expedite action in providing some form of support for poor families to avoid starvation.
The group thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for addressing to the Nation saying his speech was very crucial to the faith and spirit of the Nigerian populace in troubled times.
President General of the group, Chief Sunday Udeh, explained that although the President’s address was a good development, it however failed to address the plight of poor families that would be staying at home for weeks following the partial shutdown of some states, and a total shutdown as declared by the President in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states.
Varsity Chancellor donates PPEs, others to Abia
The Chancellor of Gregory University Uturu, Abia State, Prof. Gregory Ibe, has announced the donation of testing kits and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for subsequent distribution to tertiary health institutions within the state and across the nation.
Also donated were 850 bags of rice for distribution to the people of Abia through the local government councils, at the ratio of 50 bags per LGA as a way of mitigating the impact of the stay at home order.
Ibe in a release named other packages to include the donation of equipment and facilities for establishment of a functional COVID-19 Isolation Centre within Abia North, the release and deployment of three Gregory University Uturu Specialist Hospital medical ambulances to the state Inter-Ministerial Committee on Coronavirus to assist in shuttling suspected cases to designated places for medical attention, mass production of potent hand sanitizers by the Entrepreneurship Department of the University for subsequent distribution to Abians, especially those involved in the execution of essential services, including health workers, security personnel, National Union of Road Transport Workers among others.
Institute unveils volunteer corps in Enugu
Enugu government is collaborating with the African Development Institute for Research Methodology (ADIRM) in combatting the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, stated this at the unveiling of a Coronavirus Volunteer Corps, a Covid-19 awareness creation team launched by the institute to combat the disease.
Dr. Agujiobi who also inspected a 600 bed isolation facility donated by a private company to the institute, said that the state was already taking proactive measures towards stopping the spread of the pandemic.
