YNaija Editorial: Does Governor Yari of Zamfara State realize he is being a complete disgrace?

Governor Yari of Zamfara State

For the past few weeks, a meningitis epidemic has been spreading across Nigeria with quite deadly effects; as at the last count, the epidemic had covered 109 local government areas across 19 states. The disease, which is caused by a bacterial infection that thrives in hot weather has so far claimed 438 people, with 215 of the victims in Zamfara State alone.

However, rather than the state governor Abdulaziz Yari to first admit the failure of his government to anticipate this epidemic or at least, detail the emergency response plan of his government, he has chosen to take the absurd path of attributing the epidemic as punishment from God for the sins of Nigerians.

Governor Yari’s claim has no basis in either science nor religion, as told to him by no person less than the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II who is also an Islamic scholar. But rather than Governor Yari admit his error, he has adamantly stuck to his claim, basing it on the fact that the current outbreak is that of Type C, which is a first rather than the Type A that is more common.

The claims by Governor Yari are quite a disgrace and an attempt to shirk from his responsibilities as a governor to protect the people of his state. It is also quite an insult to the victims to blame them for the misfortune that has befallen them.

[Read also: Governor Yari’s excuse for meningitis, and 5 other times Nigerian politicians blamed God for their incompetence]

While it is true that the Type C of the disease was not anticipated, attributing it as punishment from God for the actions of the people is quite nonsensical. The expected reaction of the Zamfara State Governor ought to be focused on leading a coordinated health response by mass immunization of the people, and not to be dabbling into the murky waters of theology.

This is not the first time that Zamfara State has encountered a public health emergency that has claimed hundreds of lives. In 2010, an estimated 400 children died in the village of Bagega in the state from lead poisoning in the water, a side effect of unsafe mining and ore processing.

Sadly, the response from the state government was very weak and more lives would have been lost if not for the intervention of international agencies such as Medecins Sans Frontieres and the World Health Organization.

Rather than take lessons from that incident and strengthen the public health and emergency response systems of the state, it does appear that nothing has been done and that has led to the high number of deaths from the current meningitis epidemic, with the state accounting for more than half of all deaths nationwide.

[Read also: Dear Governor Yari, here are five simple things you really should know by now]

Again, it does appear that if not for the assistance of the National Centre for Disease Control, the Zamfara State government has found itself overwhelmed with the epidemic.

This ought to be the focus of the state governor, and not to be engaged in pointless theological debates over the origin of the epidemic and demonizing hapless citizens who depended on the government he runs to give them better healthcare.

We hope that the governor makes the better decision of not continuing his ridiculous line of thought and concentrates on the job for which he was elected: making the lives of the residents of Zamfara State better, and that includes giving them better healthcare, protecting them from public health disasters, and responding more promptly when they occur.

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