Army’s
medical test stirs tension in Anambra schools
An unusual panic
gripped Anambra yesterday following general misinformation over a medical
outreach project being undertaken by the Nigeria Army in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo
Local Government Area. Parents were tensed by social media messages which lead
to frenzied withdrawal of pupils from schools across the state.
The message was that
soldiers were moving around Anambra schools and forcefully inoculating pupils,
but a quick reaction by the state government saved the day from turning rowdy.
Secretary to the State Government, Solo Chukwulobelu, who spoke live on radio,
said it was a routine army community-relations medical exercise, which the
actual motive was misconstrued by some members of the host community.
It was learnt that the army neither gave
earlier information of the project to the state government nor the host
communities led to the wrong perception of the goodwill overture by stakeholders,
school and general reservation by the
public for whom the outreach was intended Prof. Chwukwulobelu, revealed that
the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano has advised the Army authorities to
stop the medical outreach, “until wide sensitization is conducted to reassure
people of its intentions and benefits, the exercise has therefore been put on
hold.”
The state government through the Secretary to
the state government, Solo Chukwulobelu in a swift reaction to the development
issued a statement urging Ndi Anambra and residents alike to disregard the
rumour and go about their normal duties.
According to Prof.
Chukwulobelu, “The state has been made to understand that the exercise is part
of army social responsibility to member of the public.”
He emphasised that the
exercise has no ill motive and therefore does not call for panic and enjoined
the people to go about their duties and remain calm while schools remain open
for normal academic exercises.
Chukwulobelu condemns
skewed rhetoric on social media that misrepresented the situation with falsehood
as well as insinuations of spread of disease and death of pupils in schools because
of the exercise.
The state, “he said, categorically refutes this
rhetoric and confirms that there is no death of any student anywhere in the
state. Mischief-makers are warned to desist from spreading the falsehood
rumour, Anambra remains calm and peaceful.”
The SSG, urged parents
and guardians to stop withdrawing their children and wards from schools as the
situation has been handled, saying all schools within the state will remain open
as there is no cause for alarm. He reassured community leaders, and all stakeholders
of the commitment of the governor and the state government to the well-being of
ndi Anambra.
Meanwhile, a statement
released by 82 Division Nigeria Army, Enugu, and endorsed by forces Deputy
Director Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, stated thus: “the Army’s attention has been drawn to a silly and mischievous
publication now trending on the social media alleging that the ongoing ‘Exercise
Egwu Eke II Free Medical Outreach’ services giving to some communities in the
South Eastern Region of Nigeria is harmful to people with sinister motive of
depopulating the region through the so called “Monkey Pox Vaccination."
“The Division he stated,
“wishes to make it clear that the free medical outreach was not intended to
infect Monkey Pox or any major contemporary or emerging diseases in Nigeria to
the people of South East or any part of the country. The exercise is part of
the corporate social responsibility initiatives imbued in the overall Exercise of
Egwu Eke II package to the people of the South Eastern Region which is the area of reasonability of
the 82 Division NA and is also the theatre of the exercise.”
Army’s medical test stirs tension in Anambra schools
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, October 12, 2017
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