Yahaya Bello believes Nigerian leaders have paid too much attention to the coronavirus disease.

Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, says Nigerian leaders are shifting priorities in their response to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.
Nigeria has recorded 3,526 coronavirus cases in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as of May 7, 2020.

President Muhammadu Buhari last week announced nationwide measures that include a ban on interstate travelling, compulsory use of face masks, overnight curfew, as well as other preventive measures to combat the spread of the disease.

Many other state governments have also completely shut down social and economic activities at one point or the other since Nigeria recorded its index case on February 27.

Cross River and Bello's Kogi are the only two states in the country yet to record cases, but authorities have expressed fears that it might be because the governments of both states are not taking it seriously enough.

Bello and Cross River's Governor Ben Ayade have been vocal about their displeasure with the response of the Federal Government and other state governments.

A delegation of officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was this week deployed to Kogi to assess the state's response.

However, while addressing the delegation on Thursday, May 7, Bello intensified his rebuke of political leaders, health officials, and the media in their reaction to the outbreak.

He said too much panic and fears have been spread about COVID-19 as if it was the end of the world.

The 44-year-old said the disease is being massively marketed everywhere in the media while shifting priorities from other important things.

"There are so many merchants now marketing COVID-19 as if that is our priority.

"Our struggling economy that Mr President is trying to revive, we're further killing it," the governor said.

He said his government has done its best to make sure it did not spread panic about the outbreak, and claimed that death rate has dropped drastically during the period of the pandemic because he provided 'that leadership'.

However, he lamented that the state's ability to generate revenue has been badly-hit by the heavy-handed response of other governments of surrounding states.

Bello further claimed that he has thoroughly educated himself about the coronavirus, a novel disease, and that its symptoms are nothing new.

"Is this the first time we're having these kinds of symptoms in Nigeria?

"Haven't we been living with it and teaching ourselves and moving on?" he questioned the officials.

Bello also accused the NCDC and the World Health Organisation (WHO) of verbally increasing the mortality rate of the coronavirus disease to create panic.

He said Nigeria has lost fewer people to COVID-19 (107 deaths, as of May 7) than to other problems like Boko Haram terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers, road accidents, hunger, malaria, heart attack, child mortality, and Lassa fever.

He further bizarrely called on Nigerians to be 'courageous enough' to tell the disease to return to China, where it was first detected in December 2019.

He said, "We should be courageous enough to say that COVID-19 has no space in Nigeria.

"Not by taking samples. You have over 2,000 across the country, what are you doing with them?

"You have released over 400 or 500, what did you use in treating them that cannot be publicised because we call it a war?

"During war, every solution is needed. You don't leave your people to be consumed by the war."

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, announced on Friday, May 8 that the team has returned to Abuja without accomplishing its mission.

Reports had previously indicated Bello ordered that the officials be quarantined for 14 days at an isolation centre.

"New efforts will be made to engage Kogi State authorities for resolution of the differences," Ehanire said.

The highly infectious coronavirus disease has infected over 3.9 million people across the world in five months, killing over 271,000.

Born fool

Has he ever had a priority in his worthless life? Yes! Making Kogites suffer.

Chai! We do Nigeria like this-imagine the hovernor of a state saying this in a period where a pandemic is ravaging the world.?

this is what you get for electing e-diots into power

Is there anything wrong if the government reveals what it has been using to treat the discharged Covid-19 patients?

Yahaya Bello might have been in the news in the past for wrong reasons but on this one he definitely has a point.

He has a point, we have been dealing with so many things that are more than the virus, and most suspected cases and death are fake to make money, how many people have died in Kogi and Cross River? The FG and NCDC should charge all energy to the north where people die like chicken and not taking verbal autopsy

The people of Kogi state who are staunch critics of Bello are fully in support of him on this Covid 19 topic.

samincredible44:
this is what you get for electing e-diots into power

how is he an idiot after asking what you are supposed to ask ncdc.

amaniro:
Has he ever had a priority in his worthless life? Yes! Making Kogites suffer.

suffer by asking ncdc the right questions.

Paperwhite:
Chai! We do Nigeria like this-imagine the hovernor of a state saying this in a period where a pandemic is ravaging the world.?

don't post comments in the name of I have also post comments.

Jamesbiodun:
He has a point, we have been dealing with so many things that are more than the virus, and most suspected cases and death are fake to make money, how many people have died in Kogi and Cross River? The FG and NCDC should charge all energy to the north where people die like chicken and not taking verbal autopsy

I have never supported GYB , but on this one he got it spot on.
I wish many Governor's will be this vocal on this matter and stop being wimps.
Why is that it is only in Nigeria that we are given numbers and not evidence of people that went into Isolation center and came out.
FG cannot test 10%(20Million) of Nigerians, then why not share information of solution with Governors and their Commissioners for Health,since the Pandemic is declared as a war situation.
Millions of Nigerians are skeptical about the publicised handling of this pandemic.
Why? , because there are evidences of people who reported to Hospital for entirely different ailments not related to Covid-19 and were documented as Covid-19 patients, despite the protest of the patients.

Who voted for this guy.

Am beginning to belive there r two things growing up in Nigeria. Rugged (illiterate) and intelligent (literate).

The rugged always find their way to the power seat. While the intelligent ones are scared to rule

I have always told my Friends and Neighbours, Corona Virus is not that serious in Nigeria. Many people are asymptomatic and self heal without knowing. The NCDC and Ministry of health should engage Trado- Medicine Practitioners to administer guidelines on how people can boost their immune system to fight the virus itself. Lockdown without testing enough people is a waste of precious productive time, lockdown without food palliative will only make people not travel long distances but will still be moving short distances, so people that are asymptomatic will still go on spreading the virus.The state governors declaring a lockdown are further killing the already fragile economy of the country. How long will the state and FG lock people down. If the West dont find a cure within a year, are we going to remain at home with no food? waiting for the west to find a cure which they will still prioritize for their people before it gets to Africa. I hope post Covid- 19 when another millions of people have lost their jobs and source of livelihood, i hope they would be able to cope with the insecurity then.

I agree with Yahaya Bello on this. Some people are sabotaging the economy with this Covid-19. Why are the health officials scared to be quarantined for 14 days if they don't have something up their sleeve.

yyba:
suffer by asking ncdc the right questions.

No so NCDC will miraculously come and poison them in kogi? How does that sound? Y'all like conspiracy theories in Nigeria. Let him pay kogi their salary and do the right thing a governor is meant to do then I'll cut him some slack

Yahaya Bella have successfully brought out all the Covidiots on Nairaland. Unto God who made of the thing get serious, I will come and tag all of you that don't believe it's here. My friends cousin died of it and you still don't believe? Nigerians are arrogantly ignorant. Enjoy your Buhari because y'all deserve him.

LibertyRep:
Is there anything wrong if the government reveals what it has been using to treat the discharged Covid-19 patients?

Yahaya Bello might have been in the news in the past for wrong reasons but on this one he definitely has a point.

This week the minister of health disclosed they use one American drug Remidsvir and its effective. Read before you jump to conclusion.

Simple questions
1.to FGN FMH and NcDc why didn't the sent officials to kogi and accept to be tested and quarantined?
2.to FGN FMG and NCDC why not publish names,address,phone numbers and nextbof the kins of those who died of covid19?
3.For the past lockdowns,how many out of over 200 millions Nigeria have they tested,isolate and treated?
4.people who went to government hospital for treatment of malaria,fever,headache why is covid 19 written on their formbor receipts,making it look as if they were covid 19 patient, ignoring their protests?
5.no doubt,the bigger looser in this covid 19 audios will and shall be the government, trading their states economic progress for free covid 19 funds from Bill Gates,but does it worth it,disturbing public peace?