COVID-19: Ohikere Doubts NCDC Figures


By Otobong Gabriel, Abuja

An Abuja based Kogite and APC Stakeholder of Kogi state Dr. Tom Ohikere expressed his dissatisfaction over the manufactured figures of covid-19 victims by NCDC on daily basis says its unpatriotic, imposing fear and panic among citizens. It is unimaginable that out of the 4,971 confirmed cases, 1070 discharged and 164 deaths in the country, nobody knows anybody that knows anyone that has been infected by Covid-19 virus.

Like the countries mostly hit by the Covid-19 example USA, Italy or Spain, the patients are mostly seen in ICU gasping for life and leaves in no doubt the seriousness of the COVID-19.

"But I live in Abuja and do have a sizeable number of contacts which comprised my family, neighbors, friends and professional colleagues.
Since the coming of this COVID-19 pandemic in China and subsequent infection of other countries of the world, I have been abreast of the news of the pandemic. How it was tackled in Wuhan, how Prime Minister of Britain Boris Johnson got infected, treated and discharged was well followed."

Here in Nigeria, NCDC on daily basis churn out figures of infected, discharged and those that unfortunately died from the virus. As of yesterday the 13th of May 2020, we had so far 4,971 confirmed cases, 1070 discharged and 164 deaths in the country. The FCT had 370 cases. So far I have not seen any of that I know who have tested positive to the virus and non of my contacts have seen anybody who have tested positive.

"Yesterday 13th of May being a 'Market Day' in the FCT, I went to restock my foodstuffs, I used the opportunity to ask my rice and been seller if she had seen or know anybody who had seen anybody that had tested positive and the answer was NO. I post the same question to my meat seller and got the same answer. Same with my grocery and gas sellers, I later drove to Apo mechanic village to effect a minor repair on my car. Both my mechanic and spare parts dealers also said they have not seen or heard of anybody who has seen a COVID-19 patient.

Ohikere said "last week, we watched the unfortunate incident in Gombe where COVID-19 patients left their Isolation Center to come and demonstrate on the highway of their poor treatment. Do you ever imagined that a truly infected COVID-19 patient will have the energy to do such?

I am not saying that the virus is not in Nigeria, but I do not agree with the figures coming from NCDC. Is it not curious that states Kogi, and Cross River that refused to cooperate with NCDC have no case COVID-19 neither do they record any unusual deaths?"

He said the Lockdown both full and partial have meted untold hardship on the citizens.
As it is Nigerians has started learning how to live with the Coronavirus just as they have learned to live with Malaria, HIV, Cancer, Pneumonia, lassa fever, Ebola etc.
Today, the Governor Zulum of Borno state has suspended all lockdown indefinitely after seeing that lockdown is counterproductive. Very soon other governors will follow suit.