Umar Kadafur, The Deputy Governor of Borno State, has complained about the knowledge level of COVID among its residents. He lamented that some citizens in the state doubt the existence of the deadly disease, the same way the Boko Haram Terror Group was initially underestimated.
Deputy Kadafur, who also doubles as the Chairman of the state response team for the prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic, stated this in a statement on Sunday.
The Statement
The statement quoted him as speaking at a daily media update on the pandemic held at the Government House in Maiduguri, the state capital.
He expressed regret that despite the spiking rate of spread of the pandemic, a substantial portion of people in the state do not believe the existence of the virus ravaging the country’s economy.
The Deputy Governor described the situation as unfortunate how large numbers of its citizens participated in burial ceremonies and observed congregational prayers against the rules of social distancing.
Deputy Kadafur said “When Boko Haram started, a lot of people felt it was something not to be taken seriously, until when it consumed everybody. This COVID-19 is another Boko Haram coming, and yet people don’t believe it’s real.”
“I keep saying it’s real. As a response team we’ll continue telling the general public and reaching out with advocacy,” Kadafur said.
The Borno deputy governor also mentioned that the state government was making plans to establish another isolation centre within its territory.
Borno state is located in the Northern part of Nigeria which was formed in 1976. The state has a population of over four million, having Maiduguri as its capital and largest city.
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