…as SSG is discharged from isolation centre
Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, says he has not ordered anyone government official or civil servant in the state to undergo COVID-19 test.
This is just as the state government announced that Secretary to the State Government, Mr Chiedu Ebie, has been discharged from the Isolation Centre in Asaba, where he was treated for COVID-19.
Okowa spoke in a statement in Asaba by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, who stated that the governor did not at any time direct members of his government and civil servants to undergo COVID-19 test.
He said that contrary to reports in the social media, the governor’s position since the global pandemic spread to Delta had always been to appeal to citizens to adhere to the protocols prescribed by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in order to stem the spread of the virus in the state.
Ifeajika added that the governor had also continued to advise that anyone feeling unwell should go to any of the COVID-19 centres across the state for proper checks and treatment, where necessary.
According to him, there was no time that the governor gave any directive, either by internal memo or any press release, that government officials should go for test for any disease, including COVID-19.
The governor’s spokesman also distanced his office and the government from another social media report to the effect that the entire media team of the governor tested positive for COVID-19, culminating in the shutting down of the Press Unit.
He stated, “All the reports are deliberate falsehood, and the purveyors are hereby challenged to publish the alleged internal memo and the signatory.
“The concocted stories, especially the one on no fewer than 43 members of Government House press crew testing positive for COVID-19, only existed in the imagination of the authors as I never spoke to any journalist on the matter.
“For clarity and emphasis, the CPS did not address journalists on Wednesday or any other day recently, not the least, the author of the falsehood. The author’s action is anything but irresponsible and yellow journalism, a misnomer that is acidic and seriously abhorred in the profession.
“As a government, we have our authorised sources of information and anything not released from such sources is fake news and should be discountenanced by members of the public.
“At every point in time, and with every development on COVID-19, we give updates as demonstrated when principal officers in the government tested positive for COVID 19 and we promptly brought it to public knowledge.
“The government will continue to promptly announce any development in the management of the pandemic in the state through its official channels.
“The office of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor is also available round the clock for journalists to seek clarifications on issues.”
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has announced that Secretary to the State Government, Mr Chiedu Ebie, has been discharged from the Isolation Centre in Asaba, where he was treated for COVID-19.
According to the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, the SSG who had been at the isolation centre for 21 days, was discharged on Sunday after testing negative for the virus.
He said that the SSG’s discharge brought the number of discharged cases of the virus so far in the state to 583.
Ifeajika added that as at Sunday, Delta had recorded 1,359 confirmed cases of the pandemic, with 745 of them active, while 31 lives had been lost to the virus.
He said that Ebie thanked Deltans and other Nigerians who prayed for him and had continued to pray for other patients of the virus, including members of the First Family of the state.
The CPS reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to combating the pandemic, and urged citizens to eschew prejudices and indiscipline.
According to him, the vices are militating against compliance with the COVID-19 protocols in the state.
He pointed out that adherence to the directive on the protocols would greatly minimise the spread of the virus in the state.