Deadly Double Standard: Regrettable Application Of Exclusive List In The Fight Against Coronavirus

The politicisation of the fight against the spread of coronavirus has brought to the fore the deadly application of exclusive list by officials of the Federal Government when it comes to issues that relate to Rivers State and the safety of her people.

This morning (April 12, 2020) as I perused through the newspapers, one report published by Punch Newspapers caught my attention.  This report exposed the deadly double standards against Rivers State and her people. It also exposes the underlying deliberate plot to undermine the health security system of the state.

The Report: “Chinese doctors’ flight: How three airline crew members ‘disappeared’ from Lagos quarantine centre” highlighted how the Federal Government collaborating with the Lagos State Government quarantined pilots and crew members of Air Peace who flew in  Chinese Doctors into the country. These pilots and crew members will be isolated from the rest of the Lagos Community for 14days to ascertain their coronavirus status.

From the report, the Lagos State Government has quarantined 17 personnel of Air Peace who went on that national assignment on behalf of the Federal Government,  the operators of the ALMIGHTY EXCLUSIVE LIST. Amongst these 17 personnel are pilots and flight attendants.

Reading through the report, it is clear that the quarantine procedure is mandatory, especially when such crew members have entered a coronavirus impacted territory. In the case of Nigeria, Lagos State is a coronavirus impacted territory.

The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State declared that community Transmission of coronavirus is in full swing in the state. With this public declaration,  it is necessary that precautionary measures be taken as long as the persons are coming from that location.

Recall that the Federal Government has quarantined the Chinese Doctors that are in the country to carry out Medical Outreach on behalf of the Federal Government.

This brings me to the main point that I have set out to make. The Federal Government that has emphasised EXCLUSIVE LIST every step of the way in relation to interactions with pilots and AVIATION,  has willingly allowed the LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT to quarantine 17 Air Peace pilots and crew to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In fact, three crew members that escaped from quarantine were located by the joint team of the Federal and Lagos State Governments to apprehend them for the overall safety of Lagos State.

Air Peace did not raise alarm. The Federal Government did not raise alarm to warn the Lagos State Government that it has touched the ALMIGHTY EXCLUSIVE LIST.

The quarantine of the 17 Air Peace personnel who were on National Service was never programmed to be an issue during the daily press conferences at Abuja. Therefore,  the Minister of Aviation, Alhaji Hadi Sirika, the chief advocate of EXCLUSIVE LIST had no reason to insult the Lagos State Governor, the way he insulted Governor Wike for defending the people of Rivers State and health security system of the state.

If you read through the report of Punch on the issue, it was programmed to present Lagos State Government as caring for her people. Several Pro-APC Media will replicate this report.  Pro-Lagos Editorials will be written about the proactive isolation of these Air Peace Personnel on National Service.

I will also throw up another point highlighted in the Pro-APC Report on the quarantine of the Air Peace Personnel by the Lagos State Government.  There is a standing order of the Federal Ministry of Health that persons flying from coronavirus impacted territories be quarantined to check the virus.

Let me quote a paragraph from the said Sunday Puhch report of April 12, 2020 that underlines the preferential treatment accorded Lagos  State and the unfortunate politicisation of the fight against coronavirus by the agencies of the Federal Government, operators of the EXCLUSIVE LIST.

“The 17 pilots and flight attendants later on Wednesday proceeded to Lagos to be quarantined by the Lagos State Government in line with an agreement the Ministry of Health reached with the carrier’s management. The Chinese medical personnel were quarantined in Abuja,” Sunday Punch wrote.

The above paragraph indicates that each time a flight leaves and returns, necessary precautionary measures must be taken to check the spread of coronavirus and the general transmission of the virus. In Lagos State and Abuja,  the Federal Government is ever ready to observe the established health protocols to check the spread of coronavirus.

But when it comes to Rivers State, the operators of EXCLUSIVE LIST are willing to risk the lives of over 6million Rivers people and Nigerians just to drill barrels of oil. They are willing to insult the Rivers State Governor everyday on National Television and Mainstream Media for insisting on the implementation of an agreement for the observation of basic health protocols to protect the lives of Nigerians,  wherever they maybe.

This is what the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said about the observation of the health protocols on flights.

He said, “They knew that before they came and have undergone tests before they left their country. Nevertheless, they will be in quarantine for 14 days. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has gone to see where they will be quarantined.”

To think that two leading National Newspapers allowed themselves to be used to lampoon the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for insisting on the operation of the health protocols underscores the rot in the country. The hatred for the truth is nauseating, embarrassing and unfortunate.

If 17 personnel of leading airline who flew 14hours nonstop to China to ferry essential health equipment to tackle coronavirus for the overall safety of Nigeria could be quarantined for 14days in line with established health protocols, why would anyone justify the reckless flights into Port Harcourt by Carveton Helicopters, who consistently refused to observe health protocols?

If the Federal authorities allowed the Lagos State Health Authorities to freely operate at the Murtala Mohammed Airport,  where they apprehend pilots on essential services and quarantine them for the safety of Lagos people, why embolden CARVETON HELICOPTERS to disregard health protocols when the fly into Rivers State?

The entire world is singing from one hymn page to ensure the safety of everyone. But in Nigeria, the situation is different. The Federal Government has instituted measures that frustrates the fight against coronavirus in major opposition states. Aside, encouraging private businesses to compromise the health security system of Rivers State at this critical time,  there is no federal support for Governor Wike to carry out this herculean task.

With the 17 Air Peace Personnel on compulsory quarantine,  nobody has heard of threats from the Airline Operators of Nigeria threatening fire and brimstone. But they issued deadlines on Rivers State Government because they were primed to do so, even though they know of the health protocols operational at this time.

It is sad that the Federal Government will engage in this needless game of double standards. Introducing politics into the fight against the spread of coronavirus is counterproductive. It makes the entire country vulnerable and weakens the health defence mechanism of all 36 states.

The objective of the fight against coronavirus is to stop the virus from decimating the Nigerian population. In this fight, all established health protocols must be respected whether in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt or Enugu . Undermining health protocols in Port Harcourt because the State is on another political path, is dangerous and would undermine the national struggle.

This double standard is deadly. It is unnecessary and it is unfortunate.  Nobody should fuel the spread of the virus in one part of the country because of the irregular application of EXCLUSIVE LIST. God in his infinite has exposed this aspect with the quarantine of Air Peace personnel by the Lagos State Government. All Nigerians should begin to reason along the safety of the population and not the falsehood of operators of EXCLUSIVE LIST.

It is in our national interest for the Federal Government to discard the politicisation of the fight against coronavirus and enthrone national respect for the operation of the established health protocols agreed by all tiers of government . What is EXCLUSIVE LIST in the face of national ill-health?

I conclude with Governor Wike’s advise to the Federal Government on the dangers of politicizing the fight against coronavirus.

He said: “It is quite unfortunate that the containment of coronavirus has been politicized by the Federal Government. Every State is important in the fight against the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, no state should be singled out for special treatment. The Federal Government should prevail or its agencies that connive with Aero Contractors and Caverton Helicopters to fly in workers on essential services to the state to ensure that the health status of these individuals as it relates to COVID-19 is ascertained. “