The Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Teslim Folarin, has described the order by the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde that workers from level 13 upward in the civil service should resume work as a dangerous and irresponsible decision.
Teslim Folarin, who is a third-term member of the Nigerian Senate, disclosed this during a live call-in phone interview on Fresh FM COVID-19 situation room program on Tuesday.
While explaining why he said the governor’s decision is dangerous and irresponsible, he said, “We don’t know the situation of things in Oyo State. Now, they have started testing in Adamasigba which is quite commendable, you have to commend them when they do the right thing even they need to ramp up more of these testsng.
“But what are the percentage of these officers? And you know in civil service in Nigeria, Level 13 officers can not do much without the junior officers, not all of them have cars so they will have to commute to work, they get into a bus, get infected, go back to their family and infect their family.”
When confronted with the fact that the governor stated that senior workers without cars should stay indoors, he said,” it doesn’t matter, when you leave your home and you come to work, you are exposed. There are all sort of exposures, you never know who you will come in contact with.”
He stressed further that when dealing with a pandemic it is better to assume the worst. Noting that he is 200 percent aversed to the resumption of the workers.
He added, ” In Oyo State, we have not lockdown a single day. Now, you talked about people who have an history of travelling that isn’t the problem, the problem is community transmission.
“A trader from Saki for instance will come to Ibadan and go to Bodija market or Sango market, get infected and go back to Saki and start infecting people. If we lockdown for 14 days we would know those who are sick, people who have the virus and those who are free but because the government does not want to invest in palliative that is the issue.”
He also disclosed that he is not impressed that the state government is about to distribute palliative two months after the pandemic broke out.
He added that the ongoing politics about infested rice is needless because the country operates a federal system of government and whatever the federal government gives the state is only a bonus.
He stressed further that when the rice controversy started, he called the Director of Customs, who confirmed to him that they gave the State good rice.
He, however, noted that even if the rice is bad, the state government is supposed to put a call across to customs and demand for another rice rather than make unnecessary noise.
When asked why he is yet to donate to the state government to support them in the fight against COVID-19, he said, “I am supporring the people, In fact, I have it on record that I have supported them, I am still doing and I will still do.
“But the Oyo State government is yet to show the kind of seriousness I expect from them.”
