Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State on Tuesday said the state would comply with the September 22 resumption date for primary and secondary schools as directed by the Federal Government.
The governor made this known at an enlarged Security Council meeting of the state in Asaba.
Uduaghan said that there was no doubt that the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, as the nation’s chief medical officer, must have weighed all the odds before coming up with the date.
He disclosed that as part of its preparation for the resumption on the approved date, the state government had been training and sensitizing its medical personnel and teachers on the Ebola Virus Disease.
According to him, schools in the state will resume on September 22 and all necessary measures are being put in place to ensure that the teachers are well sensitised to handle the situation.
“We, as a state, align ourselves with the chief medical officer of the country for we believe that he has all the information about the disease before coming up with the date,” he said.
The governor called on Christian and Muslim clergies in the state to declare Friday and Sunday as prayer days for the sensitization of their members against Ebola and educate the children and they resumed.
Uduaghan urged traditional rulers to carry the message of the disease to their domains, adding that the monarchs should tell their subjects to abstain from harmful traditional practices that encouraged contact with dead bodies.
According to Uduaghan, touching dead bodies and giving widows water used for bathing the dead to drink are some of the harmful traditions that can promote infection of Ebola in a community.
He reminded the people that Ebola disease currently had no known cure but that early detection could help to strengthen the infected persons’ immune system and aid recovery.
He urged the people to abstain from eating bush meat until the situation improved, adding that there were no sacrifices that would be too much to save life.
“Ebola or no Ebola, let’s adopt practice of regular hand washing with soap and running water and maintain a general clean environment,” Uduaghan said.
The governor said that the state was currently free from Ebola and Polio diseases, adding that the two infections had common transmission modes, which had to do with movement of people.
He also said that the state had contained the cases of oil theft, armed robbery and kidnapping.
He added that “rampaging” cattle dealers around the state had been checked.
He attributed the “success” to the collaboration between the state government and security agencies.
He added: “We also experienced the challenge of illegal immigrants, which the immigration officials were already handling, and again we had that of the internally displaced persons from the North.
“We are not against the displaced persons but the issues are that they must behave well and live peacefully with the people here and it will not be proper for them to take over other people’s property.
“Another concern is that people through migration can transmit polio and Ebola to other states, though in Delta there is no record of Ebola Virus Disease but we have had scares which were negative.”
The meeting was attended by all security chiefs in the state, including the new Commissioner of Police, Alkali Usman, traditional rulers, politicians and religious leaders.
Trending
- OSUN: NANS seeks intervention from Governor Adeleke, threatens protest over fee hike, palliative
- Easter Celebration: IGP orders round-the-clock water-tight security at all public spaces
- Kogi poll: SDP witness contradicts self on alleged ‘affidavit forgery’ against Governor Ododo
- No BoT in Labour Party, spokesman dismisses takeover claims
- Nigerian writer urges preservation of literary heritage amid writer shortage
- Health professionals brainstorm in Abuja, seek drug free society
- CAF announce dates for Champions League, Confederation Cup Finals
- Tayo Ayinde withdraws suit against Gani Adams, restates commitment to peace