Kunle Oyatomi
Nearly 20 years ago, massive explosions at a Lagos armory and ensuing infernos around the area led to the deaths of more than one thousand persons fleeing for safety. The incident occurred in Ikeja, but strangely, more of the fatalities were recorded some 30 miles away from the epicenter. How did it happen? These unprecedented blasts in peacetime sent fear in the urban residents. In panic, they sought escape, a frantic move that only led them to watery graves in a canal. Panicking in moments of danger triggers worst disasters and tragedies than what caused them.
It’s obvious that Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the State of Osun is a student of history and he wouldn’t allow the tragic arm of history to show up in the state. So, the watchword of his address (twice in one week) to the citizens of the state this season of coronavirus is: Don’t Panic! Timely admonition indeed from a leader who cares! Fear or panic causes far more trouble than what breeds it. That is the abiding lesson of history. And the time-honoured saying is that the rough edge of history bruises the faces of those who refuse to learn at its ancient feet. You have no one to blame if you get so manhandled by this old tutor.
So, as he responded to the Covid-19 scourge sweeping across the world and Nigeria, Oyetola cautioned against panic, saying that his government is not insensitive to what is on the ground. His administration, he assured the people, has rolled out proactive measures to ensure the plague does not spread like wildfire in the State of Osun, which has so far recorded one case of coronavirus.
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The governor said confidently: “…We have, as a responsible government, fast-tracked our response activities in order to keep our people safe and free from the virus. As part of immediate measures to prevent an outbreak, we constituted three committees to decisively deal with the situation. These are the Technical Response Committee, the Economic Impact Committee and the Communication Committee…We have also created holding centres to isolate and treat possible reported cases.’’
Governor Oyetola then pleaded with his people to cooperate with his administration, even as they observe the rudimentary hygienic rules being proffered in the enlightenment campaigns of government agencies.
He believes correctly that if it takes two to tango, it must also take both the efforts of government and the input of the population to check the spread of the deadly blaze called coronavirus disease. The governor’s strategy is clear: seize the plague before it gets out of hand. Get hold of it before it gets hold of us and paralyzes us. Neatly put, Oyetola holds the strong position that prevention is better than cure. Or better still, prevention is cheaper than cure.
In view of what others didn’t do and then allowed Covid-19 to have a fatal foothold in their land, we must applaud Governor Oyetola for swiftly moving in, first to allay the fears of his people and then to follow that step up practically with the establishment of technical bodies to monitor events and developments related to Covid-19. The seriousness he attaches to the issues is attested to by the fact that they report directly to him.
Oyatomi speaks for All Progressives Congress in the state of Osun
