*Urban population relocated to villages
By Felix Uka, Abakaliki
At this stage of containment of Coronavirus, COVID-19 in Nigeria, more attention should be paid to the uniformed rural dwellers says Coordinator of Edda North Development Centre in Ebonyi south local government area of Ebonyi state, Mr. Pius Okorie.
Okorie explained that if the rural communities are not protected there could be more casualties for several reasons including the fact that most of them are uniformed and lack the required medical facilities.
He spoke while sharing to the village people money released through the councils and 64 Development Centres of the state by the state government.
Okorie explained that many of their kinsmen who were living in the urban areas have relocated to the villages more so because workers are no longer going to work at the state capital.
The council boss said that the villages have more illetrate and old people who are more vulnerable to the COVID-19.
He noted that the state governor, Engineer David Umahi released N200m for palliative to Ebonyi people due to the harsh effects of the lockdown across the state and beyond.
Okorie explained that besides the need for other politicians and stakeholders to emulate the gestures of the Governor there was need for sensitisation of the rural populace.
He said that though everyone needs palliative, some need that more than others for which reason they were carefully managing disbursement of the palliative.
“We have undertaken house to house sensitisation and we are not going to stop. You would have noticed how much money and efforts our Governor is investing in making sure that our people are safe. We owe him the undeniable responsibility of replicating what he is doing and we are doing that”‘ , he stated.
Okorie said they had closed their borders with neighbouring communities and stopped burial ceremonies and adopted measures that check crowded assemblies in churches.
