COVID-19: Videos/Pictures: Gov. Wike’s eyebrow-raising lockdown speech

Posted by admin COVID-19, Headlines, Health, NNP News Friday, May 8th, 2020

Videos and Pictures Below

(NNP) Gov. Nyesom Wike’s recent lockdown speech to the people of Rivers, has left many wondering whether his state is located in autocratic North Korea where Kim Jong Un reigns supreme and bellows orders for his citizens in a gestapo fashion. In his threat-ridden speech, Gov. Wike left no doubting Thomases as to who is in charge with the unveiling of one tough order after the other, including the order to immediately auction cars whose owners have been found to violate his orders, and the seizure and auction of businesses that operate in violation of his orders.

The governor ordered taxis to operate with maximum of three passengers per trip and keke (tricycle) operators with maximum of two. Buses that are usually filled to the brim with passengers are to run at 40% capacity. He further ordered that private vehicles must not have more than three persons which means a couple with two children cannot ride as a family without violating the governor’s order. This, irrespective of the fact that the average family size in Nigeria is five. It is evident that the governor did not review Nigerian population statistics before giving his orders.

Landlords were not exempted as they were duly warned that any of them who allow their commercial tenants to violate the orders will have their buildings confiscated and auctioned. Strangely, the object of the punishment here is the landlord and not the tenant (most likely an entity) who is the violator.

Perhaps, a most interesting (and painful) order is one that puts two local government areas under complete 24-hour lockdown until further notice. This prevents residents from going out for essential items (as allowed in most countries) like groceries, medical appointments or medication pickup.

The governor noted that his lockdown orders must not be disobeyed and will take immediate effect until further notice, a point that puts his citizens in a seeming position of semi-permanent imprisonment. To ensure compliance, the governor added financial incentive for anyone, essentially a whistle blower, who reports a violation leading to the arrest of the violator(s) to be rewarded with N100, 000 for being a good citizen.

To further ensure his orders were not disobeyed, the governor did not leave it up to the police nor the compliance taskforce, but rather took it upon himself to monitor compliance. Such monitoring came by two modes of transportation, one of which was totally unexpected and took his citizens by surprise – by air via a helicopter (see picture below).

With coronavirus still a force to reckon with, the governor by and large has shown genuine interest in protecting his state and has no doubt demonstrated responsibility. In addition to these announced measures, the governor recently deported Almajiri to their home states, warning them not to return and infect his people. But there ought to be a delicate balance in his approach, one that considers the needs of his people, their poor living conditions and the prevailing economic realities.

With many of his residents being creek (or what in Rivers is popularly known as waterside) dwellers in one room shacks, it is virtually impossible to remain in that shack for 24-hours without risking severe mental damage. Even death row prisoners get one hour of sunlight in the day. Additionally, with informal economy being the order of the day, 24-hour lockdown until further notice will certainly jeopardize some of the lives he is seeking to save from the virus.

The videos and images below tell a mixed story of a governor bent on ensuring the safety of his citizens and the prevention of the deadly virus, and an overzealous governor spewing orders without compassion nor empathy.

-New Nigerian Politics