By Temitope Akintoye,
The traditional ruler of the Yoruba kingdom of Ile-Ife, Ooni, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has donated three motorized modular fumigators and one drone sprinkler to the Lagos State Government as his contribution to the state’s fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
The monarch disclosed that the disinfecting machines had been locally fabricated and that the pieces of equipment convert liquid sanitizer to fog which travels faster and stays longer to combat coronavirus, or any other disease-causing agent, in the community.
Ogunwusi said the move was in support of the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s efforts in combatting the deadly infection within the state and that the machines would aid environmental sanitization with aim to curb spread of the viral infection among Lagosians.
He commended Sanwo-Olu on his handling of the disease outbreak in the state and added that Lagos, being the pandemic epicenter in the nation, deserved support from well meaning agencies and individuals to further its battle against the infection.
The Ooni urged private bodies and people to follow in his steps and support the state government in its coronavirus control efforts, adding that, though the Sanwo-Olu led administration had been commendable in its response, there remained room for individual contributions.
Ogunwusi advised Nigerians to look beyond palliatives and devise local solutions to help save lives during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our people should look inward for solutions that are social and local as the present situation calls for home-grown interventions to support our doctors and other frontline warriors”, he said.
In his response, the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, expressed appreciation to the traditional ruler for the donated items, saying that the monarch had remained a great help to governance in the state and the nation in general.
Sanwo-Olu recalled that the Ooni had been pivotal in educating rural dwellers across the country on the reality of Covid-19 and that the monarch had consistently used his good office to encourage local industry and creative economy.
“Thank you, your majesty, for showing our people the can-do spirit, thank you for using your office and institution as a strong enabler to be able to communicate and pass on this strong message to our citizens. You are a critical part of governance because you are one of our traditional institutions,”
“It is good that you are leading this conversation today. You are the first that would able to tell our people that COVID19 is real, you have shown we can also look inward and take up a local solution, and you have taken it upon yourself to not just sit back and criticize, but to give back and encourage our local industry and economy, to be very creative and see what kind of local solutions you can bring about.”
