By Ugo Aliogo
As part of efforts to tackle the spread of COVID-19, the Senior Pastor of the Trinity House, Pastor, Ituah Ighodalo, has called for proper coordination and data collection in the affected states.
Ighodalo, who made this call yesterday in Lagos during a media briefing, said the affected states should work closely with the federal government to access the progress, the challenges and the way forward in containing the spread of the pandemic.
He expressed the view that the affected states were working in isolation rather than collectivity.
He also highlighted the need to have more accurate statistics about the pandemic, especially the number of people coming into the country through the land borders.
Ighodalo said: “We also need more information from our friends overseas and the determination that going forward, things must change in Nigeria.
“The federal government should design a mechanism that will enable them know the activities taking place in each states. There are some states that have not recorded any case of COVID-19. These states are not doing anything about it such as closing their borders and putting in place necessary measures to contain the spread if it enters their states.
“From the look of things, the federal government tends to be focus more on Abuja; they are not focusing on getting feedbacks, reviewing the activities in affected states, their challenges, their needs and how to support them.”
He noted that the federal government should be giving instructions what people should be doing in affected states.
Ighodalo charged President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the fight against the pandemic, stating that the country is facing a serious battle that should not be treated with levity.
The clergyman urged Buhari to monitor the activities of the affected states, review their progress, get feedbacks and find out what their challenges are in order to support them.
He added: “The president should be fully involved in the fight to combat the virus. He should not be far removed. We have a war on our hand and the President should be the Commander-in-Chief in this war. In some of the affected states, the state governors should monitor what the local governments are doing to contain the spread of the deadly virus. This will aid coordination.”
He also appealed to the public to obey government’s instructions to stay at home and maintain social distancing as part of effort to stop the spread of the virus.
The clergyman disclosed that the Trinity House is providing food to members and non-members of the church, adding that the church was also providing medical supplies to the various isolation centres.
