Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, has said that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in June this year, ranked Edo State as the best state, after Lagos, in managing the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, adding that the view being bandied about by candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Osagie Ize-Iyamu is inconsequential.
In a statement he issued in Benin City on Saturday, the Governor’s aide noted that “Edo State’s rating as the best state, after Lagos, in work done against the pandemic in the country, by the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, is in public domain and renders the view of the APC candidate inconsequential.”
Osagie added: “Recall that in June this year, Ihekweazu, who spoke during a webinar (Web-based seminar) with the theme, ‘Edo State: Surviving and Thriving Beyond COVID-19’ organised by Edo State COVID-19 Relief Committee, United Kingdom and Europe and other private partners, noted that Edo State, is the first, outside Lagos, to have three testing centres in the country.
“In fact, the NCDC DG emphasised that Edo State, under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, has been an ideal state for the work done against this pandemic in the country.
“The NCDC DG further said that Edo has a good collaboration with the Federal Government, with both playing an important role in Irrua Specialist Hospital (Federal Institution), while the state medical school supports it.”
Osagie advised: “The APC candidate need not dabble into issues he has little or no knowledge of. We know he is under a lot of pressure to market his candidature, but lies and senseless attacks would not help him.
“Some technical issues such as the handling of coronavirus pandemic should be left for experts, and we are not aware if Ize-Iyamu has the least certifiable knowledge of how to manage infectious diseases like COVID-19.”
