By Kunle Owolabi
The remarks of one Ayeniromo Orun’ogbeke on his facebook wall caught few people’s attention, including Yours Sincerely. Ayeniromo’s comment was to the effect that the Commissioner of Health in Osun ought to be dismissed forthwith by the Governor.
The sin of the Commissioner according to this social critic was that the suspected coronavirus carrier detected in the State actually phoned the commissioner before leaving Lagos and confided in him(the commissioner) that he might have the virus.
According to Ayeniromo, knowing this, the Commissioner ought not to permit the guy from entering Osun.
Ayeniromo claimed he listened to the Commissioner revealing this in a phone-in programme on local radio station, Rave FM.
For not blocking the guy carrying the virus from coming to Osun, Ayeniromo, simply called for the guillotine to chop the Commissioner’s head off.
His words: “My quarrel. How a Commissioner for Health will still encourage such person to proceed on his journey to the State when all he could have done was put a call through to his Lagos State counterpart to share the news and in order that Lagos can hold on unto the man. He ought to tell the man to remain in Lagos then assured him on necessary action.”
Note only that, Ayeniromo also claimed that the State had no place to isolate the virus carrier before telling him to come to Osogbo. What infuriated Ayeniromo most was that the Commissioner did all these and later went to his house to sleep! What a crime.
Thus, he recommended that Governor Gboyega Oyetola should fire his performing Commissioner with immediate effect.
He boasted that if he were Oyetola he would ensure that day was the last day of Dr. Rafiu Isamotu in office as a commissioner. Huuuu.
If wishes were horse, as an English proverb says, beggers would ride one. That was exactly what went on in Ayeniromo’s mind. Mere Wishful Thinking! He was never a governor. He is not a governor. He prolly will not be. Probability because mortals should not play or act God.
He just embarked on rabble rousing rather than situate the issue as it happened. Setting the record straight is necessary because of such mischief makers.
Yours Sincerely investigated so as to know what actually happened. This was what was discovered.
The now tested positive coronavirus carrier actually returned from a trip to the united Kingdom. He arrived Lagos, known or unknown to anyone. How many days he spent in Lagos no one knew. He then decided to return to his home state of Osun.
On his way coming he probably felt somehow and believed he must have contacted the virus. He then got the phone number of the Honourable Commissioner for Health (which is a public number anyway) and informed him of his situation.
The Commissioner urged him to come. Arriving Gbongan, he called the commissioner again to tell him where he was. This was how he was monitored until he got to Osogbo.
He was very cooperative as he drove straight to the State Hospital, Asubiaro to meet the Commissioner and other professionals on ground. He could have gone to his house to see his people first.
Rather he decided not to endanger anyone and proceeded to the hospital.
Necessary sample was taken there and then and sent to the laboratory in Ede.
The man later left the hospital – wait a minute – not for his house but to an hotel for isolation. He did well to inform the manager of the hotel of his current condition and predicament.
He went into his room alone not without the instruction to the management of the hotel not to send any server to his room, be it for food or cleaning. All these he did to ensure no one was endangered through contact with him.
The following day the result came. He tested positive. A call was put to him promptly. He did not disappear. He responded quick by driving down to Asubiaro again. He was taken in from that time till now. Relevant stakeholders including but not limited to NCDC had been informed and State Government of Osun had commenced contact tracing as required professionally.
This was what actually transpired. Conversely, Ayeniromo wants us to believe contrarywise. From the above narration many questions must agitate the mind of reasonably thinking person.
Let me hazard some guesses. One, when this guy arrived in Lagos, he passed through all the airport networks. I suppose checking his temperature was the only test done on him. This was a matter of routine in all schools in Lagos In fact the bus conductors of my children’s school bus always came with it very early in the morning to test the pupils before they entered school bus.
This was done until schools were closed down. Two, the guy might not feel anything at that time until he was on his way to Osun. But let us assume he knew his status as such. For him to have decided to even call to report himself was enough act of patriotism.
Ayeniromo blinded his eyes to that and expoused his warped thinking and defeatist logic.
From my investigation, the guy did not have any symptom as at the time he arrived Osun and was seen by the health team in Asubiaro, he could have been told to go home and just self isolate, which in practical terms may be difficult to observe.
Supposing the guy just quietly entered the State without informing anyone, would Ayeniromo still call for the dismissal of the Commissioner when the domino effects of such stealthy return come to the open? Anyway, some people suffer not only from the smallness of their mind but also of their intelligent quotient as well.
Four, if after the guy’s contact with the Commissioner on his way comming to Osun and the Commissioner told him not return, did Ayeniromo think the guy would just agree, turn and head back to Lagos? What if he decided not to contact anyone and just head homeward.
Who saw him until his arrival in Asubiaro? Who had his photograph by which he could be recognised or traced if he changes bearing mid-journey? Who knew which route he would take to enter osogbo?
All these were conjectures in the mind of the Commissioner. Until the guy showed up, no on ever beleived he would voluntarily do that? It took some courage for the guy to hand himself over unaided.
Yet, for doing the right thing one “Aye oniro’ or whatever he calls himself wants us to believe the Commissioner invited danger to the State. Far from that! Does our armchair critic want Lagos also to suffer at the pleasure of other States? Or Ayeniromo thinks there are now people of OSUN origin who also could be endangered in Lagos if the man was denied entry to Osun?
This is anything but insensitivity and cold-heartedness. Pure and simple.
Who says Osun is not ready for the coronavirus with the level of preparations since the first strain strayed into Lagos?
Since the guy’s isolation and treatment nothing untowards has happened in the state. I wonder why some snivelers are now wailing for no just cause. It is said that in times of adversity mischief makers thrive with the hawking of their trade.
Neither the Governor, his deputy nor the Commissioner for Health would be distracted by baseless, irresponsible chirruping of Ayeniromo and his ilk.
Dr. Isamotu and his astute team should just focus on purging the State of the deadly virus. They should not allow any distraction or listen to pepper-soup joint talk, which has been the pastime of some failed office holders and politically spent forces.
