COVID-19 Palliatives: Agip, Mgbuoshimini Residents Appeal For Inclusion

Residents of Agip Estate and Mgbuoshimini in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Port Harcourt, have called on the Rivers State Governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to extend the palliatives for the COVID-19 to them.
Speaking when the State Rapid Response Team on COVID-19 visited the area, Monday, residents stated that though they have heard that the distribution of the palliatives in Obio/Akpor and PHALGA has ended at the weekend, they have not seen anything.
According to a resident of Road 24, Agip Estate, Rumueme, Alexander Aforkansi, “since last week when we heard that the distribution of Covid-19 palliatives in PHALGA and Obio/Akpor started, we  are yet to see anybody come to distribute food items to us.
“We want to use this medium to appeal to the Governor to please extend the gesture to us. We also want to have sanitisers, just as it was distributed in other places”, he said.
When the team visited Eagle Island, the residents were initially apprehensive towards members of the team, and had to be calmed down before sensitisation on the coronavirus could be carried out in the area.
Their grievance, they said, was based on what they called “neglect by the state government in the distribution of the palliatives”.
During the sensitisation of the people of Agip Estate, Mgbuoshimini and Eagle Island, the Rapid Response Team harped on risk communication and adherence to effective preventive measures for the spread of the coronavirus.
Such measures, the team emphasised include regular and appropriate washing of hands with soap, or use of hand sanitisers, observing respiratory hygiene and keeping social distancing.
The sensitisation, which was sponsored by UNICEF in collaboration with Rivers State Ministry of Health and the Rivers State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, afforded residents of the areas to have first-hand knowledge of how to adhere to the three key preventive measures for the coronavirus.