Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has directed the former state Printing and Publishing Corporation’s General Manager, Chief Abia Onyike, to isolate for 14 days after returning to Ebonyi from a trip.
Umahi gave the directive on Thursday during a state broadcast, directing the state Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure that Onyike, who was a former commissioner for Information in the state, complied with the directive.
Umahi said that the directive was not a punishment but a measure to protect the people as it also applied to all ‘big’ men in the state who returned from various trips.
“A Local Government Area (LGA) Caretaker Chairman informed me that Onyike came from outside into the state and the chairman is insisting that he should not be allowed into the village.
“He is in another man’s village which is the capital city and this is dangerous,” he said.
The governor said that the DSS state director has been directed to take Onyike ‘as his property’ by making sure that with social distancing protocols, he complied with the directive.
“He should isolate in his house in the capital city and people should not disturb him.
“The LGA caretaker chairman should allow him if he wants to isolate in the village, but he must compulsorily isolate for 14 days.
“It will not be good if he does not do so as it will mean that we are respecting big men and compelling poor people to obey the law.
“There are many ‘bigger’ people who came into the state and we insisted that they must isolate for the peoples’ protection at all times.
“He can conduct his test in Enugu if he does not have confidence in our testing procedures in Ebonyi,” he said.
Umahi called on the people not to panic over the 152 reported cases of COVID-19 in the state as other states would have been recording higher numbers if they conducted tests such as Ebonyi.
“We conduct over 100 tests daily with two test machines and we record two positive cases in every hundred which is still manageable.
“Immediately someone shows up after testing positive, the person is treated immediately as people are discharged between seven days to 10 days of treatment,” he said.
Umahi also expressed dismay that religious organisations had breached the safety agreements reached with the government before worship centres were re-opened.
He warned that the government would no longer tolerate the non-use of nose masks.
“We will be forced to close worship centres and the state international market for a warning period of one week and will inaugurate a special task force to arrest those who don’t use the masks,” he said.
Onyike, who was a former ally of the governor, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in a telephone interview that he was just being informed of the governor’s directive.
“I see the governor’s statement as an advice and not a directive and hence he said I should isolate in my house, I will isolate there.
“I will continue criticising his government even if am quarantined for one year and it is appalling that he can discuss ‘my small person’ in public,” he said.
