The Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, has expressed worries that residents of the State do not obey the directives of Governor Dapo Abiodun on the compulsory use of face mask.
Newsmen reports that Gov Abiodun has directed all indigenes of Ogun State, who must go out during the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, to wear a face mask.
According to Abiodun, anybody who refuses to wear a face mask will be arrested and quarantined for 14 days.
But, Abudu-Balogun, while speaking on Sweet 107.1FM Abeokuta on Wednesday, said many residents of Abeokuta were in town today without face masks.
Abudu-Balogun said he decided to see what was happening within the metropolis, saying the people, around Okelewo, did not obey the regulations as they ignored social distancing order.
Speaking in Yoruba, the Commissioner said: “Government is trying its best. Governments at all levels have been shouting. Yet, some people will sit down somewhere to say Coronavirus is a disease of the rich. That’s the problem we have. What do they mean by saying it’s the disease of the rich? Governor Dapo Abiodun has been emphasising it that what we are battling presently affects everyone. See how people are dying in other countries like Brazil, America. You see them laying corpses on the ground. Please help us tell the people that Coronavirus can affect anybody, either rich or poor.
“Everything the government asked our people to do, they disobey. Today, I just decided to go out to see what’s happening within Abeokuta metropolis. I went to Okelewo side. People were crowded everywhere. They didn’t even use face masks. And government has made it mandatory for everybody. If government starts arresting them now, they will be criticising the government. Simple thing! Face mask is just N100, yet our people refused to use it.
“The social distancing we told them to observe, you need to see how they clustered together in banks.
“Do you know the most dangerous thing about all these? It is good that we are still having isolated cases, may God not let us experience community transmission in Ogun State. That’s what we are afraid of, and that’s why the government of Dapo Abiodun is crying out to everybody that we don’t want community transmission.
“Don’t let me deceive you; Gov Abiodun is really trying about this issue.”
The Environment Commissioner said Gov Abiodun has begun the distribution of about 2 million face masks across the state.
