The Oyo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has hailed some of the president’s critical decisions with regard to its initial total lockdown of Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Engr Akeem Olatunji, said Buhari’s decision to relax some earlier restrictions was laudable because they have adversely affected Nigerians. It pointed out that the new approach is a testimony to the supremacy of Governor Seyi Makinde’s in combating the pandemic logically and scientifically which is now clear as a good template worthy of emulation.
The party noted with disdain how opposition parties in the state, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC), had attempted to discredit Makinde’s giant strides in keeping the state safe from a larger outbreak of the disease within the ambient of very limited resources while allowing commerce to thrive during partial lockdown in Oyo State.
The PDP described APC in Oyo State as a group of people living in fantasy, noting that governor Makinde was an epitome of sound and qualitative leadership who has been working tirelessly to restore the human dignity and dignity of labour among the people and its workforce.
Olatunji stressed that the only option left for APC in Oyo State was to genuinely seek the forgiveness of the people it allegedly plunged into untold hardship during its eight years governance.
According to the party, it doesn’t take any rocket science for any leader with good conscience to know that total lockdown of any state or country including crippling an already struggling economy like that of Nigeria without the capacity or political will to make proper provisions for alternative means of livelihood would be counterproductive. It stressed that Makinde was daily showing APC government at all levels how to achieve good governance.
The APC in the state had urged the governor to lock down the state for two weeks to enable it identify those that may have been infected and also restrict spread of the virus. But Makinde only imposed a 7pm to 6am curfew while encouraging residents to observe all necessary measures that help contain the virus. He also shut schools and some markets.