BAYELSA GOVT. TACKLES COVID 19 IN POVERTY, SPRINGS A SURPRISE

The Bayelsa Government led by Senator Douye Diri in the face of excruciating poverty bedeviling the Oil and Gas rich State from inception of office, February 14, 2020 didn't fold hands, but had taken bold steps to checkmate the ravaging dreaded Coronavirus pandemic, sweeping across the world including Bayelsa state.

Senator Douye Diri
The Governor Of it
Bayelsa State

In view of the fact that the present administration in her first 18 days in office due to an alleged inheritance of empty treasury and or paucity of funds went and secured an approval from the Bayelsa State House of Assembly of a whooping amount of N2.9billion bank loan to buy official vehicles, and shortly after that, the coronavirus disease came, just a week after the administration had paid her first salaries in February and was preparing to pay that of March when the hot wind of Coronavirus began to blow.
Golden Pen reliably gathered that  as a result of the deep silence by the Captains of the Bayelsa ship of state who have kept sealed lips over the finances of the State and were not  in the fast lane of giving due attention to the coronavirus pandemic, led to insinuations that the Governor Diri administration may not do anything on COVID 19 because of paucity of funds.
But contrary to all insinuations the Bayelsa State Government.has taken center stage in the battle against Coronavirus having in mind and proving that the Health Sector is one of  the major priority areas of the administration.
And 'to take the bull by the horn' the Government of Senator Diri and Senator Ewhrudjakpo spring a surprise by coming out with laudable visions and actions that had built confidence in the hearts of the people of the State, of their safety.
 In line with global best standards and practices of crowd control to prevent spread of the Coronavirus disease, the State Government had taken some stringent measures as follows:

* Level 1-12 Civil Servants in Bayelsa State were given two weeks leave to stay at home.
* Those on essential duties of health, security, cleaners shall go to work.

Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo
Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State

 * The State Government had created impressive awareness through media campaigns of how to be safe from attacks by the virus.    *A  most welcome confident builder was the opening of the screening centre at the entrance of the state capital at Igbogene with a view to knowing the coronavirus status of in-coming travellers to the State after test of positivity or otherwise,  those positive to be   quarantined for treatment.

Allaying fears of Bayelsans that the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri had not contacted the virus despite his official engagements that took him out of the state to Abuja and to the Villa, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Inodu Apoku in an emergency Press briefing on Coronavirus, held in the State Capital, Yenagoa announced that the Governor of Bayelsa, Senator Douye Diri  didn't have any link with the Chief of staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari in his engagements:
"His words, "I have no link with Bala Mohamed and Abba Kyari, the Chief of staff to President Buhari, what happened is that at the INEC meeting we normally seat in alphabetic order; after Bauchi is Bayelsa in the seating arrangements.

Dr. Inodu Apoku
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Health, Bayelsa State

" When we had the meeting, he (Senator Bala) had not had any contact with Atiku's son or Abba Kyari At the meeting Kyari was not present. We were told he was in Germany. So, actually I am surprised about the speculation that I had contact with the Chief of Staff." Governor Diri clarifies.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Apoku stated that the  State had taken appropriate measures in collaboration with what he called expanded multi-sectoral task force on the COVID 19 pandemic to tackle the killer disease, which include:  *Suspension of group gathering functions, such as,  wedding ceremonies, burials while gathering in Churches and other worship centres across the state downsized from 50 to 20.
 Dr. Apoku who included hotels and bars as being in the above stated list, used the medium to inform that the Ministry of Transport was directed to enforce reduction of number of passengers they carry with commercial vehicles, tricycles etc.
Meanwhile,the NSCDC in Bayelsa had assigned 250 members of the State command to work hand in hand with the state government to enforce compliance of the orders.
The state Commandant, Mrs Christiana Abiakim Omanu told journalists that the move was in line with the crisis and disaster management mandate of the NSCDC.
The commandant said that the officers and men of the COVID 19 response squad had been adequately sensitized to enable them to respond to emergencies and assist officials of Bayelsa government in disease surveillance.
 Hear this:

"...the Command had complied with the NSCDC Commandant General's directive on collaboration with the state government on enforcement of the preventive guidelines to curtail the spread of Coronavirus."
Mrs Omanu said.
While appreciating the Governor Diri''s less than two months administration for taking the right direction on the Coronavirus pandemic, Bayelsans have while commending the bold initiative called on the Governor not to relent but to put more efforts to reach out to the nooks and crannies of the State with welfare packages to the masses.