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Tag: Makinde

  • 30 workers in same company test positive for COVID-19 in Oyo

    30 workers in same company test positive for COVID-19 in Oyo

    Oyo State recorded 31 new Coronavirus infections on Saturday, its biggest in a single day since the pandemic broke out in country.

    Governor Seyi Makinde announced this in a statement, saying that 30 of the cases came from workers of the same company in Oyo State.

    “The COVID-19 confirmation tests for thirty-one suspected cases came back positive. Thirty of these cases are members of staff of the same organisation based in Ibadan South West Local Government Area. The organisation has been shut down and will be decontaminated.

    “We urge members of the public to remain calm as the situation is under control. Intensified contact tracing has already commenced. We will give an update on any additional measures that may need to be taken,” he said.

    Makinde added that the remaining one case was from Egbeda Local Government Area, saying that the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo State as at 8pm on Saturday stood at 107.

    “We advise the following categories of people who have not already done so, to register with the Emergency Operations Centre on 08095394000 | 08095863000 | 08078288999 | 08078288800, for the ongoing drive-through/walk-through testing at Adamasingba Stadium:

    “People who believe they could have come in contact with a COVID-19 case in Oyo State; People with COVID-19 symptoms: cough, fever, tiredness, body ache and shortness of breath; people with respiratory disease symptoms; healthcare workers who have been in contact with the high-risk groups, above,” he said.

    Makinde urged people to also call the Emergency Operations Centre on 08095394000 | 08095863000 | 08078288999 | 08078288800, if they find travellers from other states arriving in their community.

  • Oyo Assembly rubbishes alleged impeachment plans against deputy gov

    Members of the Oyo House of Assembly on Tuesday passed a vote of confidence on Governor Seyi Makinde and his deputy, Rauf Olaniyan.

    This was despite the purported impeachment moves against the Deputy by loyalists of Makinde.

    The House also moved to rename the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa after an Eruwa-born late industrialist and business mogul, Adeseun Ogundoyin.

    The late Ogundoyin is father of Speaker of the Ninth Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin.

    The lawmakers, who denied media reports linking them with plans to work with some power brokers in the state in an alleged plot to unseat the Deputy Governor, assured the House firmly believes in the leadership style and capabilities of Governor Makinde and his deputy.

    But the lawmakers did not say same on the leadership of the House despite rumours and reports of no love lost.

    The House made the clarification while deliberating on a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Lagelu state constituency, Mr Akintunde Olajide and seconded by Mr Isiaka Kazeem (Oyo East/Atiba).

    Mr Adeola Bamidele (Iseyin/Itesiwaju), the Majority Leader, Mr Sanjo Adedoyin and the Minority Leader, Asimiyu Alarape noted the lawmakers are in agreement with the executive arm led by Makinde and his deputy, Olaniyan.

    Alarape, while supporting the vote of confidence on Makinde, said there is the need for the lawmakers to speak out their immense support to the administration of the governor and his deputy, adding that it is high time all the lawmakers made public their support for the Makinde government, irrespective of political parties.

    Speaker Ogundoyin also denied insinuations that the lawmakers were working with a top government official and held various meetings all in the bid to impeach the deputy governor.

    Deliberating on the change of nomenclature, the lawmakers all acknowledged the numerous support and roles played by late Ogundoyin in the development of the former Eruwa campus of The Polytechnic Ibadan, Eruwa and the state as a whole during his lifetime.

  • Amazing! 10-year-old boy flees after testing positive in Oyo

    Amazing! 10-year-old boy flees after testing positive in Oyo

    Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has recounted how a 10-year-old boy reportedly absconded to the northern part of Nigeria after testing positive in Oyo.

    Makinde, who made the revelation via his Twitter handle in the early hours of Thursday, confirmed eight new COVID-19 positive cases in the state.

    He said, “We also have a further update on the two absconded cases reported earlier today. They absconded before being admitted to any of our isolation centres.

    “After intensive contact tracing, one of them has been found and admitted to the Infectious Diseases Centre, Olodo, Ibadan.

    “The other is a 10-year-old boy who, eyewitnesses claimed, boarded a north-bound vehicle. His details had been sent to the Sokoto State PHEOC. Contact tracing is still ongoing.”

    The eight new COVID-19 positive cases bring the number of infections in the state to 52.COVID-19

    The governor also noted that two COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment in the state facility have been discharged.

    Makinde wrote, “The COVID-19 confirmation tests of eight new cases just came back positive from the laboratory. This increases the number of confirmed cases in Oyo State to 52.

    “Two confirmed COVID-19 patients were discharged from the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo after receiving their second negative test results. This brings the number of discharged cases in Oyo State to 13.”

    The governor urged members of the public to call the Emergency Operations Centre on any of the designated telephone numbers if they find travellers from other states arriving in their communities.

     

  • ‘Double wahala’ in South-West over handling of Buhari’s expired palliative rice, Covid-19 pressures

    ‘Double wahala’ in South-West over handling of Buhari’s expired palliative rice, Covid-19 pressures

    Like the immortal lyrics of Afro legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, ‘double wahala for dead body and the owner of dead body’, some South West governors were at the weekend faced with double jeopardy of handling the burden that comes with supposed expired palliative rice sent to the region by President Muhammadu Buhari-led government while still struggling to contain pressures of curtailing spread of deadly Covid-19.

    Recall that TheNewsGuru (TNG) had earlier reported that Oyo State Government would return bags of rice received from the Federal Government, after discovering it is in bad condition.

    In the same vein, Ondo State Government has rejected some of the expired bags of rice from the 1,800 bags sent to the state by the Federal Government, while Osun State government claimed that the FG’s palliative rice is presently undergoing quality control checks in the state.

    Speaking to newsmen, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Osun State Governor, Mr Ismail Omipidan, acknowledged receiving the rice from the FG but added that it was undergoing “quality control” checks.

    Reports reaching TNG is that some of the states in South West governed by All Progressives Congress (APC) have refused to open up on the worrisome state of the FG’s expired palliative rice due to their political affiliation with the Buhari-led government.

    Meanwhile, Lagos and Ogun state have commenced distribution of the rice to their people. In Lagos, one Iyabo Johnson raised an allegation on Twitter that she got an expired rice from the government, but the report has since been refuted by Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu.

    The story in Ondo is similar to that of Oyo:

    Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has ordered the return of some bags of rice sent to the state by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management as they were found to have expired.

    Speaking on the development, the Secretary of the state palliative committee, Mr Alex Kalejaiye, confirmed that some of the bags of rice had expired and were no longer fit for consumption.

    According to him, the bad rice will be separated from the good ones and the good ones will be taken to the laboratory to ascertain if they were fit for human consumption.

    He said, “We discovered that some of the bags have expired and not good for consumption at all, so we are separating them from the ones that are still manageable for consumption. After this, we will still take the ones that appear good to the laboratory to test if they are fit for consumption.”

    It was gathered that when it was discovered that some of the rice had expired, the governor reportedly ordered that they should be rejected.

    Akeredolu, who officially received the palliative items at the Government House ground, Alagbaka from the state coordinating unit of the Youths Empowerment and Social Support Operations, last week, was said to have expressed displeasure over the development.

    Kalejaiye said, “They brought many bags of rice, we just carried out a random check on them to discover the ones that are not good. What we are trying to do is to separate those ones that appeared bad from those ones that appeared good then we will carry out laboratory tests on them to ascertain whether they are safe for consumption before giving them out to our people.

    “Some are expired, it is even written on the bags but some are not expired but it seemed they were not properly stored, and those ones are not properly stored would not be good to be given to our people without carrying out the laboratory test.

    “We will separate the extremely bad ones from the rest and we will carry out the laboratory test on those ones that appear good, to ascertain how safe they are for consumption. But the extremely bad ones, we don’t even need to do a test on them, we will return them.

    “We will meet tomorrow (today) to decide when to return them, you know we can’t do it without the consent of Mr Governor.”

  • COVID-19: Makinde resumes work, inspects 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre

    COVID-19: Makinde resumes work, inspects 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre

    Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, formally resumed work on Monday and immediately conducted an inspection tour of the state’s largest isolation centre- Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, Ibadan.
    The governor, who appeared calm and relaxed, said that he was thankful to the people of the state for their fervent prayers during his isolation period.
    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, further quoted the governor as saying that his government plans to conduct COVID-19 tests on 10,000 persons in the state.
    According to the statement, the governor added that the state was determined to win the battle against coronavirus, noting that if the state was able to test 10,000 persons within a short period, it would be able to stay ahead in the fight against COVID-19.
    The 100-bed hospital was left in carcass by the immediate past administration in the state, which christened it Mother and Child Hospital.
    Makinde’s administration took it upon itself to fix the facility and re-designate it Infectious Disease Centre, with the capacity to serve as isolation centres for 100 patients.
    The governor maintained that though the efforts put in place by the government might not have hit the 100 per cent mark, there were clear signs that the state was ready to fight COVID-19.
    He urged residents of the state to continue to support the government, while adhering strictly to the directives issued by the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force and medical experts.
    Governor Makinde, who appreciated residents of the state for their prayers and support while he was recovering from COVID-19, also used the occasion to appreciate Professor Temitope Alonge, a former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, who served as head of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force while he was in isolation.
    He said: “I want to especially thank Professor Temitope Alonge. I can see a lot of improvement here (Infectious Disease Centre) and can also see that we are ready to fight COVID-19. I have been in isolation myself, which I think was good. It was a period to reflect and look at the programmes, policies and all the things we want to do for the people of Oyo State. It was also a time to reflect on how COVID-19 is going to affect us socially and economically.
    “I want to thank you all for your prayers and support. God really answered your prayers on my behalf. We are all in an uncharted territory with COVID-19, just like the experts have been telling me.
    “We may not be 100 per cent perfect but I want you to continue to give us your support because we are here to work for you. We are here to ensure that no life is lost due to this pandemic. Please, continue to follow the directives of the Task Force. I am back to work now.
    “Some jobless ones have been talking about who I should handed over to (while in isolation); whether it should be a Professor of Virology or not. I am not a Professor of Virology myself. When the experts speak, the people in position of leadership only need to apply common sense. The experts too have a room in there where they cross-pollinate ideas They discuss, challenge themselves and come up with the best course of action. So, it is the same thing for us in fighting this pandemic.
    “So, let us all keep observing social distancing and hygienic condition. They told me that the virus is coward; Once you use water and soap to wash your hands very well, the virus will be destroyed. So, let us continue to observe all these hygienic practices.
    “We will continue to brief you on a daily basis. We are in a situation that is fluid and things will keep evolving. If you have ideas, you are free to call us and we will listen to you. I acknowledge the fact that we are not perfect but we know that the Lord is with us in Oyo State.”
    Earlier, Governor Makinde had, during a phone interview monitored on radio, re-emphasised the state’s commitment to fighting COVID-19 by scaling up the testing of members of the public to about 10,000 within a short period.
    According to the governor, testing such large number of people remained the only way to get a handle on the situation regarding COVID-19 in Oyo State, as according to him, it would be impossible to ascertain the number of people who might have contracted the disease without scaling up the testing of samples.
    He said: “I was asymptomatic throughout. So, without the test, I would not even have known that I had COVID-19. It’s the reason why we pushed for a testing centre in Ibadan so we can test more people who may have come in contact with COVID-19 cases. And my aspiration, which I already discussed with the Task Force team, and the EOC [Emergency Operations Centre], is that we must set a target to test close to 10,000 people in Oyo State. We are setting up to have that done. For us, if we are able to meet that target, we will be able to map the state correctly.
    “Yeah, we can wall off communities if we see cases of the virus in those communities. It is the only way that we can stay ahead of the curve and get a handle of what is really going on in Oyo State. We are doing the planning right now and I have not been told by the experts that this is possible for us and I think we will stay ahead of the national effort. That is the trajectory that we are pushing to get to.”

  • COVID-19: Why I am reluctant to declare total lock down in Oyo – Makinde

    COVID-19: Why I am reluctant to declare total lock down in Oyo – Makinde

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has explained that a total lockdown of the state has no benefit for now despite the rising cases of confirmed Coronavirus.

    He spoke during a programme on Fresh FM in Ibadan.

    The governor said he opted for curfew as a form of partial lockdown, which will still allow millions of people who earn daily income to go about their normal businesses while observing World Health Organisation (WHO) precautions on COVID-19.

    He said: “When we spoke last Saturday about everything that could be done to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Oyo State, I said we would continue to assess the situation and take additional measures where necessary.

    “But remember also that my own background is engineering and I kept saying to people that as an engineer, you take decisions that are based on logic and fact. It’s an uncharted territory. We kept on interacting with the experts to find out what are the facts emerging.

    Yes, Lagos can be on lockdown, Ogun can be on lockdown, Oyo State, yes, people have been saying have a total lockdown and then I have been asking them questions. What will be the benefits here? Are there alternative courses of action for us to take? If you ask people not to come out, you lock down the markets, there are people who what they sell today – the profit from today’s activities is what they will eat tomorrow.

    There are many people like that within our environment. So, are there alternatives available to us. Can we do selective lockdowns? That’s why I imposed the curfew, to say limit interactions.

    “I think, everything is on the table, but it has to follow a logical pattern and it will need the input of experts. We are not just going to lock down because everyone is locking down.

    “I have been watching CNN and the most successful place right now in containing this is the Czech Republic. And one of the things they brought out is that they made a law that if you must leave your house, you must wear a mask. It may be that route for us to go.

    I have asked them to start evaluating that. If we must make that law and say everybody that must go out must wear a mask, then, how about those who cannot afford it. Can we make masks locally? Can we get our artisans and our tailors to commit to that with the government supporting? So, these are the type of solutions we are looking for.”

    Makinde said contact tracing and tests have been carried out on aides and others, who interacted with him during the period.

    He said: “Yes, I can confirm to you that I took the test the same time as the Secretary to the State Government and when the result came out, they said one tested positive and the other, negative and it turned out to be that I came out positive and she came out negative.

    “So, everyone that has had contact with me, we are asking them to go into self-isolation and as soon as any of them shows any symptoms, then they get tested.”

    Giving update on his COVID-19 case, the governor said: “Well, I still don’t have any symptom. As I am talking to you, I can take my body temperature, I have a thermometer and it will read it out to you (temperature is read out by the thermometer as 36.5 degrees Celsius).

    “But the fact that I have no symptoms is why I have been insisting that people should maintain social distancing, follow hygienic practices and stay at home. Because we don’t know who you are interacting with. It may be someone with COVID-19 without even knowing it. So, even a gathering of 10, the maximum that I allow in Oyo State, may still expose you to COVID-19.

    “So, the bottom line is; first, this thing is real. Two, we have to halt the way we interact with ourselves, at least, until we have a handle on the disease itself.”

  • COVID-19: I wish El-Rufai, Makinde, Mohammed speedy recovery – Sanwo-Olu

    Lagos State Governor, Bajide Sanwo-Olu, has sent words of encouragement to his colleagues from Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi respectively.

    Sanwo-Olu in a tweet on Monday wished the three governors speedy recovery after being hit by the coronavirus.

    According to him, the governors play a crucial role in the fight against COVID-19 in their respective states and the country.

    “I wish H.E Gov @elrufai, H.E Gov Bala Mohammed and H.E Gov @seyiamakinde who tested positive for #COVID19, a speedy and safe recovery.

    READ ALSO: Curbing Spread Of COVID-19 Is A Joint Effort, Says Osinbajo

    “As leaders and co-visionaries in building Nigeria, they play critical roles and we hope to continue to benefit from their insight and leadership,” he said.

    Governor Mohammed had on May 24 announced through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mukhtar Gidado, that he tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

    Gidado explained that the Bauchi governor was infected after having contact with the son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, confirmed to have also been hit by the virus.

    Four days after, Governor El-Rufai announced via his verified Twitter handle of testing positive for COVID-19.

    “Earlier this week, I submitted a sample for the COVID-19 test. The result came in this evening, and I regret to say that it is positive,” the governor said.

    Similarly, Governor Makinde announced on March 30 that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is in self-isolation.

    “I just received my COVID-19 confirmation test result,” he tweeted. “It is POSITIVE. I am asymptomatic and will continue to self-isolate.”

  • APC urges Makinde to lock down Oyo State

    APC urges Makinde to lock down Oyo State

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has called on Governor Seyi Makinde to declare a total lockdown of the state for about 14 days to prevent a rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

    In a statement by its Director of Publicity Dr Azeez Adeduntan on Monday, the party said that the rising number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state calls for a total lockdown to contain further spread.

    The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan Prof. Jesse Otegbayo and two other professors at the hospital tested positive to the virus on Sunday.

    The APC emphasized that treating the pandemic with kid-glove will only worsen the situation and put the lives of millions of residents of the state at great risk. It pointed out that while states that were yet to have confirmed cases have taken serious measures to prevent Coronavirus spread to their domains, Makinde, whose state already had confirmed cases, was still foot-dragging on totally locking down the state.

    The APC specifically recalled that Makinde announced to crowds at the Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) unification rally held in Ibadan, the state capital on March 18 that the virus could not spread to Oyo State though infected people were already in the state. It added that the rapid spread of the virus may not be unconnected with the said rally.

    APC said: “It should be recollected that at the PDP needless and shameless rally of Wednesday of 18th March 2020 at Mapo Hill, Ibadan, His Excellency, Gov Seyi Makinde boldly told about 5,000 attendees that corona virus cannot get to Oyo State.

    “However, it was not only confirmed that an infected COVID-19 person had been living in Ibadan since March 3rd but In fact the latest information from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) claimed that COVID-19 infected patients has risen to seven as at Saturday 28th March 2020 in Oyo State.

    So who is fooling who between Gov Seyi Makinde and APC that felt the timing of the Wednesday 18th March rally was ill-timed?

    Most alarming is the arrogant manner of negligence with which Gov Seyi Makinde had been handling this COVID-19 war, considering that our past appeal has been falling on the deaf ears of Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde.”

    The governor just tested positive to the virus.

    The APC justified its call for lockdown by stressing that it will make contact tracing easier and enable government fumigate public places.

    It cited Osun and Kwara and states that have locked down as a serious effort at containing the virus.

  • Covid-19: Atiku reacts to report of Makinde testing positive

    Covid-19: Atiku reacts to report of Makinde testing positive

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has reached out to Oyo State Governor, who tested positive to novel Coronavirus disease on Monday.

    Announcing his result on Twitter, Makinde tweeted: “I just received my COVID-19 confirmation test result. It is POSITIVE. I am asymptomatic and will continue to self-isolate.”

    Reacting to the report, Atiku wrote said “I pray for your quick recovery and I am very impressed by your tremendous work in setting up a #COVID19 diagnostic centre in Oyo State. We stand by you in this challenging time – AA

    Atiku’s tweet: <blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>I wish to recommend the examples of Governors <a href=”https://twitter.com/SenBalaMohammed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@SenBalaMohammed</a>, <a href=”https://twitter.com/elrufai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@elrufai</a> and CG <a href=”https://twitter.com/nigimmigration?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@nigimmigration</a> Babandede MFR for their disclosure. We can beat this pandemic by being open about it, educating our people, isolation and testing. It is not a death sentence, we will all be fine.</p>&mdash; Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) <a href=”https://twitter.com/atiku/status/1244263807561728002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

  • COVID-19 : Why I’m in self-isolation – Makinde

    COVID-19 : Why I’m in self-isolation – Makinde

    Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State says he is on self-isolation based on the advice by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to governors who attended the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

    In a live tweet chat monitored in Ibadan on Saturday, Makinde said that governors who attended the NEC meeting came in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

    “We were all advised to self-isolate and go for test. I have been in self-isolation since then.” he tweeted.

    On compliance with all directives aimed at curbing the spread of the disease in the state; the governor said: “We have an enforcement team which will ensure compliance.

    “If there is a gathering of more than 10 people, for instance, they will be dispersed. If it is a nightclub, we seal it, until the ban is lifted.”

    The governor said that the state’s testing capacity was limited, but it improved by setting up two diagnostic centres in collaboration with the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.

    According go him, more people can be be tested once NCDC certifies the facilities.

    “Setting up testing centres will enable us to test more people which means that those showing symptoms can get tested regardless of their travel history,” he said.

    On efforts toward public sensitisation; Makinde tweeted, “We are stepping up both enlightenment campaigns and enforcement measures.

    “We have disease durveillance and notification ifficers in all the 33 LGAs and 35 LCDAs.

    “Also, local government caretaker chairpersons are involved in enlightenment campaigns and implementation of directives.

    “Of course, if we have sustained community transmission, we will have to implement cluster lockdowns which are more effective than general lockdowns.”

    He said that the order placed against social and religious gatherings was not targeted at any religion or social group.

    On the number of isolation centres in the state, the governor tweeted that the state had a four-bed isolation unit in Ogbomoso, 10 at Jericho, four in the University of Ibadan and 100 at Olodo to be ready soon.

    ” Also, Tristate Hospital, Ibadan, has offered a 40-bed capacity unit including eight Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds with ventilators,” he said.

    Makinde added that additional four had been ordered for.

    “The ICU beds in the state currently have ventilators. We are also collaborating with private hospitals.

    “As I stated earlier, Tristate Hospital has offered its facilities which include ventilators.