TonyRazor
Set up testing centres or face unrest, group tells S'East govs

A group, Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders has issued a 14-day ultimatum to South- East governors to set up testing centres for coronavirus or face civil unrest.

Issuing the ultimatum on Sunday, the group said if at the expiration of the 14 days their demand was not met , it would mobilise human rights community in the zone against the governors.

The group stated this in a release made available to our correspondent in Awka, Anambra State on Sunday by its board of trustees chairman, Dede Uzor.

It maintained that establishing coronavirus testing centres in the area would allow for massive testing of citizens in their respective states .

The statement read in part," If the governors remain adamant after the expiration of 14 days, we will be compelled to mobilise members of the human right coommunity in the zone to protest the insensitivity and gross neglect of people's health inline with social distancing policy.

"The setting of testing centres in each of the states in the zone has become imperative to determine the COVID-19 status of the citizens to avoid mass death.

The group decried what it called "The indifferent disposition" of the governors in the zone towards procuring testing equipment that would enable them set up testing centres at least in each state of the zone.

It also condemned the governors for not providing enough palliatives for the people, which it said had made the lockdown more difficult and porous.

It added, " We had earlier called on the governors to use their two months security votes to provide palliatives for their citizens but they did not do anything"

"We also call on the Senators and House of Representatives members from the zone to use 50 percent of their allowances for two months to provide palliatives for their constituents"

"If after 14 days of this call and they have not carried out this demand, we will call on their constituents to initiate their recall".

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control recently approved Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra State as coronavirus testing centre.

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