Group Gives S/East Govs 14 Days To Set Up Covid-19 Test Centres

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

The increasing cases of coronavirus infections in the country are generating so much public concerns such that various governmental and non-governmental organizations are evolving strategies to frontally tackle the pandemic.

This is why the Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation has risen to the situation and urged the governors of the South-East region to as a matter of urgent public importance set up Covid-19 test centres in the zone to enable citizens to ascertain their status and also avert mass deaths.

The right group gave the South-East governors a 14-day ultimatum to set up Covid-19 testing centres in their respective states that would allow for massive testing of their citizens to ascertain their covid19 status.

The organiation which issued the ultimatum on Monday during a press briefing in Awka, noted that if the Governors remained adamant after the expiration of 14 days, they would be compelled to mobilise members of the human right coommunity in the zone to protest the insensitivity and gross neglect of people’s health in line with social distancing policy.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation, Chief Dede Uzor A. Uzor, said the setting up of testing centres in each of the states in the zone has become imperative to determine the Covid-19 status of the citizens to avoid mass death.

He decried the indifferent disposition of the Governors in the zone towards procuring testing equipment that would enable them to set up testing centres at least in each State of the zone.

Stressing the need for massive testing of the citizens in the zone, the right group also condemned the governors for not providing the much needed palliatives for the people, which has made the lockdown more difficult and porous.

Uzor noted, “We had earlier called on the governors to use their two months security votes to provide palliatives for their citizens but they did not do anything.

“We also call on the Senators and House of Representatives from the zone to use 50 percent of their allowances for two months to provide palliatives for their constituents but all to no avail.”

The group however warned that if after 14 days of the call and they did not carry out the demand, they mobilize their constituents to initiate their recall from the national assembly.

The group also warned that the welfare and well-being of the constituents who would determine their fate in the next election should not  be taken for granted.

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