Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State is said to be under intense pressure by some sections of Katsina citizens particularly those skeptical about the existence of COVID-19 and majority of the poor who felt economically deprived to jettison the lockdown measures to allow them move about freely.
Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health and member of the State’s COVID-19 Committee, Dr Kabir Mustapha who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with The Nation said the disposition of most Katsina citizens to the current COVID-19 fight, remains disappointing, adding that some are even thinking of staging riots should the lockdown continue.
He said; “this is the mentality of our people, they even attempted staging riot. These people thought they are healthy and that we are cheating them by giving them drugs. As I am talking to you a lot of people don’t believe this disease exist
“Somebody complained to us that he is healthy, that we only brought him to the hospital as part of deception by the government.”
On whether some classes of suspected patients were being asked to take their treatments from home, he affirmed that it is part of the global measures aimed at controlling the pandemic which is not peculiar to Katsina.
He said; “those persons that are anti-syntompmatic were allowed to stay at home and take medication and observe the guidelines. But those that have symptoms were the ones brought to the hospital and they always appreciates that you are doing something for them.
“There are those that are healthy you tell them to stay at home and tell them to take their drugs from there.
“My problem with our people is that they fail to understand and appreciate what government is doing and that Government is under serious pressure on so many fronts. But we are trying to curtail the virus from spreading in the state’’