Former representative of Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has warned that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike’s ‘draconian measures’ to fight against the spread of Coronavirus will prove counter-productive if he fails to give his policies a human face. This is as he stated that the war against the pandemic is fundamentally about collective humanity and therefore must be fought on strictly humane and just terms.
Abe, in a statement on his Facebook page, titled: “A Dangerous Gamble” said, the demolition and auction of private property, the closure of all sources of survival for citizens of Rivers State without due consideration to their means of sustenance in the name of the battle against COVID-19, are draconian measures that will prove counter-productive in the long run.
The statement reads in parts: “I am constrained to say these few words on the worrisome development in my dear State, Rivers. “Lockdowns should come with clear provisions for the sustenance of the people, particularly the vulnerable population (the young, the old, the sick and the infirm) and exemptions must be made for emergency and essential services, such as foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, press, medical care, and security services, electricity, telecom, fuel supply etc”.
The senator cautioned that even in times of physical warfare, such actions of the governor is a war crime, because power without compassion is tyranny, he maintained.
