Jubilation as Makinde tests negative for COVID-19

‘It is most cheering news of the year’

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde yesterday promised the people of the state some palliative measures to ease the impacts of the partial lockdown of the state as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Makinde, who spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at a live radio programme few hours after being tested negative for COVID-19, said that the state government would work round the clock to ensure the palliatives get to the people of the state.

“We have started collating data of people in the state so that the right person gets the palliatives from the government.

“From my findings, I learnt that the Federal Government wanted to give N20,000 to people across 10 local councils in the state, but I later discovered that 80 per cent of the Federal Government N20,000 conditional cash transfer is wasteful. So, we are working to bridge the gap.”

The governor, while speaking on his health status, said that he was okay, adding: “I wouldn’t have known my health status if not because of the test I took. I firstly took the COVID-19 test on Thursday and the sample was taken to a laboratory in Ede, Osun State and the result came back negative.

“The second sample was also taken on Sunday at the virology laboratory of the University of Ibadan and it also came back negative.”

Makinde, who stated that the ambition of his administration was to test 10,000 people in Oyo State to allow them stay ahead of the virus, however, urged the people of the state to support the government.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, yesterday said the news of the recovery of Makinde from the ravaging pandemic Coronavirus is the most cheering news of the year to the people of the state and the entire People’s Democratic Party (PDP) family. Ogundoyin stated this in a statement following the announcement of the recovery of the governor from the deadly virus.

The Speaker said it was heartwarming and praiseworthy to hear that the governor had received divine healing and would soon take full charge of affairs again as the number one citizen of the pacesetter state.

He said that the prayers of the good people of Oyo State had been answered by God with his recovery from the dreaded virus. He prayed for the speedy recovery of other Nigerians in various isolation centres across the country.

Ogundoyin also assured the governor of the avowed resolve of the Ninth Oyo State House of Assembly to continue to give necessary legislative backings to all his policies and programmes aimed at taking the state to an enviable height.