The Oyo State House of Assembly has called on the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to pay more attention to the porous nature of the state’s borders to check the influx of foreigners into the state.
The house also advised the governor to extend testing on COVID-19 to those border areas.
The call was contained in a motion by the lawmaker representing Akinyele state 1, Hon. Ayo Fatokun during the plenary on Tuesday, he called on the state government to step up its efforts in containing further spread of the coronavirus.
Other lawmakers who spoke in support of the motion explained that the call became expedient due to the continued influx of foreign nationals into the state via borders in Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso areas.
They noted that if unchecked, the people of the state were made more susceptible to contracting coronavirus. The lawmakers urged the state governor to see to it that the border towns and routes are heavily manned by security agencies.
Hon. Fatokun, in the motion, described the daily infection and death rate statistics across the nation as staggering, and demanded the state to
apply stringent measures to prevent community spread from areas prone to the transmission of COVID-19.
In their contributions, Honourables Akeem Mustapha, Kajola constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, Oriire and Kazeem Olayanju, Irepo/Olorunsogo stressed that the state will save itself from a spike in the number of cases if testing is taken away from Ibadan to border towns which host several returning non-Nigerians.
In his submission, Majority Leader, Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin decried the negligence of security agencies resulting in loopholes at the borders, and urged the agencies to redouble their efforts in manning the borders.
Deputy Speaker, Hon. Abiodun Fadeyi had also wondered whether the state was doing enough testing, he questioned if the isolation centers, outside the Ibadan, the state capital, were truly functional.
Speaking in light of checking the influx of persons into the state, Hon. Isiaka Kazeem representing Oyo East/Oyo West opined the need for the state government to evacuate Almajiris to their respective states.
Citing the hardship presently faced by the people of the state, Fatokun, in the motion, urged the executive arm to urgently distribute palliative and relief materials to the poorest of the poor and the vulnerable in the state.
In the same vein, Hon. Akintunde Olajide representing Lagelu constituency said it was imperative for the state government to distribute wholesome palliatives.
Hon. Wumi Oladeji, Ogbomoso North constituency, appealed to the governor to mandate the caretaker chairmen of local governments and local council development areas to embark on sensitization of the grassroots on adhering to COVID-19 precautions.
Identifying ignorance as a bane of containing further spread of the virus in the state, Hon. Seyi Adisa of Afijio constituency said the National Orientation Agency (NOA) should be tasked and empowered to put its established structure to task in sensitizing people at the grassroot.
Hon. Dele Adeola of Iseyin/Itesiwaju and Hon. Oyeleke Simeon of Ogo Oluwa/Surulere stated that it is more imperative for state government to think of how to sustain the state’s economy post COVID-19.
The two lawmakers admonished the state government to give attention to the agricultural sector by supporting farmers and all others on the agric value chain.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
