Lagos denies spike in infection rate in Amuwo Odofin, to deal with official who made claim in viral WhatsApp audio


FAITH Anyanwu, medical practitioner and official of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, who blew the whistle on the alleged alarming cases of COVID -19 infections in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, in an audio recording that has gone viral, has landed in trouble as the state government might be planning disciplinary action against her.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmjnjOg96TM

Investigations by The ICIR indicate that apart from losing her job, her practice license may also be suspended or withdrawn.

“I am sure if she is not sacked already, she is going to be sacked very soon,” a senior government official who sought anonymity told The ICIR.

“Not only that, we would also make sure that her practice license is suspended too, for breaching the ethical code of her profession,” the source added.

Three weeks ago, in an audio message which trended on the social media, Anyanwu called attention to the alleged widespread of COVID 19 cases in Festac and Amuwo-Odofin environ of Lagos State.

She said that “there is high rate of community transmission of the deadly virus in Festac and the entire Amuwo-Odofin”, adding that “out of 40 samples collected, in a particular day, for example, 10 to 15 people came out positive.

In Agboju Market, the central market servicing the entire Festac and adjoining communities like Maza-Maza, Ojo Road and Mile 2), the situation is worse, she said.

“You must not approach Festac or Amuwo-Odofin at this time. If at all you must do so, you must protect yourself with face mask and hand sanitiser,” Anyanwu counseled in the audio message, which has been widely circulated on WhatsApp.

However, the Lagos State government has dismissed Anyanwu’s message, describing it as “hoax,” “fake news,” and “breach of ethical code,” adding that it was “false, misleading, and lacked credibility”.

“The number of cases quoted also was unbelievably exaggerated,” the government insisted.

The government official quoted earlier said the state government felt embarrassed and betrayed by one of its health workers and deemed her action irresponsible.

The official said that the attitude of the government is that “even if what she said in the audio is true and that staggering infection rates were being recorded, it was irresponsible of her to have made it public in the manner she did.

“What she did could have led to serious health crisis in the state as people could have panicked”.

The government, however, has not been able to give the actual number of the existing cases in the Amuwo-Odofin LGA.

The officials only confirmed that Amuwo-Odofin Testing Center serves five local government areas and the numbers were for those council areas.

But neither the Chairman of the LGA, Valentine Brahimon, nor the NCDC Surveillance Lead assigned to the area, Oyelakun Okunromade, could provide accurate figure of the people infected by the Coronavirus.

The press conference jointly held by the local government and NCDC, on April 24, also did not offer much information other than to discountenance Anyanwu’s claims and allay the peoples’ fears.

But the LGA boss confirmed that “it is true that there were 23 positive cases reported in Amuwo-Odofin, but that number does not belong to Amuwo-Odofin alone.”

He said the LGA is serving as a Zonal Testing Center for four other local government –Apapa, Ojo, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and Badagry,

The NCDC senior official who spoke after him also did not provide clarity, rather she attacked the personality of Anyanwu.

READ MORE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/lagos-denies-spike-in-infection-rate-in-amuwo-odofin-to-deal-with-official-who-made-claim-in-viral-whatsapp-audio/

at this point the government is the one to be believed

So who should will believe now

I just hope there is no cover up in the cases.