NCDC: Wike has shown commitment

 Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

NIGERIA Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), at the weekend hailed Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike for showing leadership in the fight against spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The centre said stakeholders must work together to reopen the economy without endangering the population, noting the lockdown could not continue indefinitely.

Director-General of NCDC Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who spoke when he led officials of the centre to the Government House, Port Harcourt, said Rivers was important in the fight against the virus.

Addressing Wike, he said: “This is a working visit. I want to thank you for your firm, strong, committed and personally-led response to COVID-19 in Rivers State.

“Rivers is one of the most important gateways into the country. One of the most important economies in the country . So, Rivers is important, not only to you but to the country.

“We thank you very much for your leadership and we need your leadership to continue for us to continue doing our work nationally.”

Ihekweazu said his team was in Rivers to engage with the state’s health team to consolidate on the success recorded in the fight against coronavirus.

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He said he came with the officer in charge of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support the state’s team, which he described as excellent.

Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike released 22 ExxonMobil workers without any charge.

The 22 ExxonMobil employees, who were arrested for allegedly violating the state Executive Order restricting movement in the state.

Confirming the development, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State, Prof. Zaccheus Adangor, said that the employees were released without charges.

Wike had in a live broadcast at the weekend lambasted the federal government for not supporting his administration’s fight against COVID-19 and vowed to pursue the case of the ExxonMobil employees to a logical conclusion insisting that he would subject them to the same law used against the Carveton Helicopters’ employees.

The governor said: “We will fight this matter legally.  Exxon Mobil does not operate in Rivers State. That they have a point at the Onne seaport does not mean that they operate in Rivers State. People in Abuja are not happy.  They want Rivers State to be infected. They want to kill Rivers people and I will not allow it. I was elected to protect Rivers people.  Rivers State is not a pariah State.”