Razaq Bamidele
As partial restriction commences in Lagos State today to prevent the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a right group, Black Youth Vanguard, has called for support and cooperation with the state governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on the new preventive measures rolled out to the public.
Convener of the group, Comrade JamesAdeyemi, in a statement in Lagos Monday, said, cooperation with the governor over his prompt action to curb the impending calamity would amount to the proverbial stich in time that saves nine, stressing that, Sanwo-Olu’s timely warning against the second coming has shown him as a sensitive administrator who is always at alert to his responsibility.
Adeyemi recalled that the State Government has sadly noticed that there was an unfortunate public perception that the threat of COVID-19 pandemic has become a thing of the past and that the worse is over, asserting that such an impression was not only absolutely wrong but also dangerous.
According to him, the government regrets that, credible reports at its disposal showed that, regrettably, despite the precarious situation on the ground, “the entertainment industry is planning large gatherings, concerts, street parties and carnivals, in the spirit of the Yuletide,” adding that the government is not comfortable that, “night Clubs have also re-opened in reckless disregard of the existing guidelines, and Events Centers are operating with huge gatherings without any regard for public health and safety guidelines.”
While saying that this same disregard for Coronavirus guidelines is also being observed with Places of Worship across the State, in both their regular gatherings and the special gatherings organized to commemorate this season, the government has blamed the overwhelming non-compliance with guidelines meant to keep people, for the threatening second wave of the monster.
Adeyemi, who stated that the governor deserves commendations for his being alive to his responsibility to his people, pointed out that, “Sanwo-Olu’s prompt action would go a long way to prevent, what could result into minority contacts that would eventually snowball into majority contact with a tendency to cause national calamity.
Against this backdrop, the youth leader, therefore, admonished that the governor has taken the right step towards saving his people, the general public also owes him a reciprocal duty by abiding by all the preventive measures rolled out for the good of all, reminding that, the lackadaisical attitudes of the majority of the populace towards the prevention of the monster is now threatening with a second wave.
Adeyemi warned that complacency towards the preventive rules can be very dangerous and deadly just as it would cause the economic downturn of an un-imaginary proportion reminding of the hardship the citizenry went through during the first luck down, suspecting that, the country may not survive another round of luck down when the scars of the first ones are still fresh on the people.
The youthful leader, therefore, advised the people to take the governor’s concerns over them very seriously by following the preventive recommendations of the governor to the letter, wondering if the advanced countries with their medical knowledge are lucking down out of fear, Nigerians with what they are in medical line could afford to treat Sanwo-Olu’s concerns with a careless attitude.
He, therefore, urged the people to observe the simple preventive measures of social distancing, washing of hands, using of sanitisers, avoiding crowded places, using of the mask and keeping personal hygiene because, according to him, prevention is not only better than cure but also cheaper because a stitch in time saves nine.
