Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Delta, Mr
Olisa Ifeajika has said that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa did not at any time direct
members of government and civil servants to undergo the COVID-19 test.
He said that contrary to reports in the social
media, the governor's position since the global pandemic spread to Delta, had
always been an appeal to citizens to adhere to the protocols prescribed by Nigeria
Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to stem the spread of the virus in the state.
Ifeajika, in a statement in Asaba, added that
the governor had also continued to advise that anyone feeling unwell should go
to any of the COVID-19 centres across for proper check and treatment, where
necessary.
According to him, there was no time that the
governor gave any directive, either by internal memo or any press release that
government officials should go for a test for any disease, including
COVID-19.
The governor's spokesman also distanced his
office and the government from another social media report to the effect that
the entire media team of the Governor tested positive for COVID-19, culminating
to the shutdown of the Press Unit.
"All the reports are deliberate falsehood,
and the purveyors are hereby challenged to publish the alleged internal memo
and signatory.
"The concocted stories, especially the one
on no fewer than 43 members of Government House press crew testing positive for
COVID-19, only existed in the imagination of the authors as I never spoke to
any journalist on the matter.
"For clarity and emphasis, the CPS did not
address journalists on Wednesday or any other day recently, not the least, the
author of the falsehood. The author's action is anything but irresponsible and
yellow journalism, a misnomer that is acidic and seriously abhorred in the
profession.
"As a government, we have our authorized
sources of information and anything not released from such sources is fake news
and should be discountenanced by members of the public.
"At every point in time, and with every
development on COVID-19, we give updates as demonstrated when the principal
officers in the government tested positive for COVID 19 and we promptly brought
it to public knowledge.
"The government will continue to promptly
announce any development in the management of the pandemic in the state through
its official channels.
"The office of the Chief Press Secretary to
the Governor is also available round the clock for journalists to seek
clarifications on issues," he stated.
PRESS UNIT
GOVT. HOUSE,
ASABA
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