The video of a father rejecting his son over fear of contracting COVID-19 in Ekiti State has gone viral.
In the video which was recorded some days ago by a security man attached to Fajuyi Pavilion, where the Ekiti State Enforcement Task force uses as its base for coordination of operations, a father Mr Femi Adeoye refused to cover-up for his son who travelled from Lagos to Ekiti after his father had advised against embarking on the journey.
The State Commissioner for Information and Value Orientation, Mr Muyiwa Olomilua, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, commended Mr Femi Adeoye, reiterates the state government’s commitment and frowned at the unprofessional conduct of the security agent.
PRESS STATEMENT ON VIRAL “FATHER REJECTS SON” VIDEO
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
1. The attention of the Ekiti State COVID-19 Task force has been drawn to a video clip in circulation where a man refused to allow his son, who just returned from a trip outside the state, into his house until he had been isolated for 14 days as stipulated by NCDC protocol for preventing community spread of COVID-19 in Ekiti State.
2. The Task force commends Mr Femi Adeoye, for refusing to cover-up his son’s travel history and for denying him access into the house without confirming his COVID-19 status.
Mr Adeoye epitomizes the Ekiti ethos of selflessness, which places greater premium on the collective good of the society above personal and emotional considerations. This is the core of the Values Orientation policy of the Fayemi-led Administration.
3. We also consider it necessary to inform members of the public that the video was recorded four days ago, by one of the security men attached to the Fajuyi Pavilion, where the Enforcement Task force uses as its base for coordination of daily operations.
The security man who recorded the encounter is neither a health worker, nor qualified or authorized to determine the health status of the young man. So, none of his actions or misstatements reflect the capacity or preparedness of the State Task force to combat the COVID-19 virus. The officer in question has been suspended pending further investigations, for acting outside the jurisdiction of his scope of authority.
4. Following the encounter, the young man has been in custody of the state for the past four days, and has since been take to one of the designated quarantine centres, where he would be for 14 days, in line with laid down procedure that dictates that anyone who sneaks into the state, would be quarantined four fourteen (14) days, at their own cost. His samples will also be taken for testing in order to ensure he has not been infected in the course of his travels to high incidence areas of the country.
5. We implore members of the public to emulate the patriotic zeal of Mr Adeoye, and promptly report to the Ekiti State COVID-19 Taskforce, any out-of-state traveller who sneaks into their neighbourhood, or places of abode. This is to safeguard against the likely health hazard that such returnees portend for the larger society.
