We’ll Explore Local Solutions to Address COVID-19 Pandemic – Makinde
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Wednesday announced that the State will explore home-grown solutions towards the prevention and cure of COVID-19.
Makinde said that the State is not ruling out local solutions to cure the virus, adding that since Nigerians have always had their ways of dealing with flu, catarrh and cough, in ways different from the Western world, the state would explore avenues and find a cure.
These were contained in a statement by the chief press secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr Taiwo Adisa in which he quoted his principal as having said that he was convinced that Nigerians have the capacity and intellect to look at things that work locally, saying the State will encourage that.
Makinde, who stated these on Wednesday at a briefing after a meeting of the State’s COVID-19 Task Force, held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, maintained that as part of measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus in Oyo State, the government is already working on the passage of laws that would compel the use of face masks.
He added that the state was also considering rapid and mass testing of residents with efforts to create two additional testing centres already underway.
Makinde explained that from his experience of the virus, boosting of immunity had an important part to play in overcoming it, adding that while the State is seeking home-grown solution, it would continue to defer to experts’ opinions.
He further said; “We are looking at local solutions. I know that a lot of people have been calling me all sorts of names on the social media but, from my experience, one thing that I know you have to do to conquer the virus is that you have to boost your immunity. We do have local solutions and, of course, we have to defer to experts’ opinion as part of the home-grown solution to deal with COVID-19.
“People may ask if we have been funding the research institutes very well. They may even ask if we are in a position to bring any kind of solution to the world. My answer is yes. Even chewing something like bitter-cola. When the Western world is having flu season, they have flu shots. But here, we have things like catarrh. When we are crossing over from dry season to rainy season, people almost always fall sick. Cold, cough, catarrh, we have ways of dealing with all of these locally.
“So, except a solution comes from the Western or Eastern world, I won’t say that we cannot deal with it. I believe we have the capacity. We have the intellect to look at things that work locally and we will keep encouraging that. We have the capacity to also validate some of the results that we are going to be getting.
“They did clinical trials for chloroquine and some other medications but these are things we take normally here. So, we are not ruling out local solution to this pandemic.”
Makinde, who commended members of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force for its hard work, explained that the isolation process for the two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 had already been initiated and that contact tracing and collection of samples have commenced.
According to him; “We have made arrangement to decontaminate the Oyo State Secretariat and this will take place next week; between Monday, April 13th and Wednesday, April 15th. Thereafter, the secretariat will be opened on Monday, April 20th.
“The team in charge of the decontamination are sending letters to religious leaders, traditional rulers, private organisations to decontaminate their facilities, using standardised contaminants. “We are also considering rapid testing, two additional centres to enable us map behaviour of the virus as far as the state is concerned.”
