Covid-19: Activist Faults Wike’s Detractors Over Comments

The commandant of a freedom fighting group in Rivers State, the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteers Force (NDPVF), Opobo/Nkoro Chapter, Idawari Brown, has faulted those criticizing Governor Nyesom Wike’s efforts to combat the spread of the novel Covid-19 pandemic in the state, describing them as enemies of the state.
Speaking with The Tide recently in Opobo Town on the negative comments of some politicians against the governor on the pandemic, Brown said it was difficult to rationalize the actions of these detractors while the Governor was working tirelessly to curb the spread of the virus in the state.
While describing these detractors and their sponsors as enemies of the state, Brown said their anger stemmed from the fact that while states like, the federal capital territory, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Osun, Edo, Kaduna, Enugu, Ekiti, Bauchi and Lagos were recording staggering decimals in the number of cases of the pandemic, Rivers by God’s intervention has minimal cases.
He further described those behind what he termed “unwanted arm-chairs criticism” on the Governor as unpatriotic, stressing that patriotic – minded persons in the state would commend the governor’s dogged efforts to spur him into more productive actions.
The Ijaw war lord particularly drew the attention of those ranting over the current lack down imposed on civil servants in the state from grade 1 to 13 to stay at home in order to check the spread of the disease to the fact that he took the action to forestall a spike in Covid-19 cases.
In his words, “It is even more appalling to think that these unpatriotic voice are the same people who would not keep politics aside and view issues from the perspective of our common interests. “They are rudely disappointed on the fact that Covid-19 is being curtailed by the proactive steps being taken by the governor. For them, Rivers State should be recording more cases to satisfy their evil and political aggrandisement”.
Brown, however, appealed to all and sundry to see the Covid-19 pandemic as a common enemy for which all hands must be on deck to defeat the scourge.

By:  Bethel Toby