Senator Kola Balogun’s phone interview on Fresh FM with Mayor Isaac Brown on March 31, 2020.
Mayor: I do not know if you monitored the President’s speech from Abuja, which I think you would have done online? I am aware you are making a couple of moves. Can you help us make sense out of it, not being given attention by the APC led Federal Government?
Balogun: I am surprised like every other reasonable person that Oyo was not captured. I had discussion with the leadership of Government at this level and what they are telling me, for Oyo to access the same kind of benefit like Lagos State; we will also have to call for total lockdown. I am not sure we need total lockdown in Oyo State. I am not also sure that Oyo State should be given such conditions. The point is that Oyo State is equally close to Lagos. In fact, as regards commerce, Oyo is closer to Lagos than Ogun State. So why would they single out Ogun State for special treatment and exclude Oyo. More so, we are still talking about it and still trying to query the rationale to ask for total lockdown of Oyo State if we must also be put in that class. We are also surprised and my colleagues in the House of Representatives are talking; Hon Muraina Ajibola, Hon Abass Adigun Agboworin, Hon Stanley Olajide and Hon Yemi Taiwo are dealing with the matter here. For example, we have spoken and we are working on a letter to protest to the Federal Government for this unexpected treatment of Oyo State. The letter will be ready and I am going to follow up personally. I am trying to put call across to the Senate President, just to be able to take the matter up with him. We are working on it. We thought Oyo State should be in the first place to be given preferential treatment. For instance, UCH has problems. The facilities there are all rundown. For me this is a wakeup call to the Federal government to bring UCH back to its old glory. The pandemic will go away, we should use this opportunity to try and prepare for the future. We are not praying for outbreak of epidemic in our country but at least we should also have health facilities, medical facilities that are inviting. UCH used to be number four in the Commonwealth of Nations. Why can we not take advantage of intervention funds and use it to upgrade our hospitals like UCH? We do not have to wait until Coronavirus or any virus breaks out before we begin to act and act responsibly as government. This is my take in all these. Let me also state this; On behalf of my family and colleagues at the National Assembly, the good people of Oyo South senatorial district, we wish His Excellency, the Governor of Oyo State speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. I must also seize this opportunity to commend the governor on the way and manner he is handling this Coronavirus pandemic in Oyo State. I am aware of all measures he is putting in place; I am aware that the government has given solid support to the diagnostic center at UCH, and I am also aware of the government efforts, accessing all the isolation camps with 114 beds in Ibadan and Ogbomoso and of course the enlightenment campaigns; advising people to keep social distancing and stay at home. I am very impressed at how the government is handling the menace.
Mayor: Members of the National Assembly are under intense scrutiny, even criticism. Folks have said you are always very visible when it is election time; they see you more often, that is when you keep distributing stuffs to Nigerians. Can you tell me categorically the measures you are taking personally to ensure our people are taken care of, and they do not suffer unnecessarily?
Balogun: Thank you for that comment. However, you cannot be in Abuja and Oyo state at the same time. You have to be in one of the places at a time. So far, here in Abuja, we have resolved at the Senate that we are going to give half of our salaries as donation for the period of the pandemic in Nigeria. And we also demanded from the government to increase test centres. We have six presently and that is inadequate. We have asked the FG to increase it to at least one per state. We are also asking for support for the states of the federation. We are going to monitor and ensure strict compliance with FG intervention policies to ensure the intended beneficiaries are able to access the benefits. On my part, even though, I am in Abuja, we have distributed free sanitizers. They are being distributed as we speak. We also have food palliatives for our people. You can cross check all that from my Ibadan office. We also have enlightenment billboards in nooks and crannies of Oyo State which I have commissioned people to put up for us. So really, whether you are in Abuja or Ibadan, as long as you are active and doing things in the interest of the people, I do not think that should also really matter. In any case, just as we were planning to travel down to Oyo State, airports were also shutdown. Also do not forget some of my colleagues also travelled out. Some of these people are my personal friends and self-isolation is also advised. That has been the worries of my colleagues at the National Assembly, particularly the Senate. Being that as it may, this Coronavirus issue is mind boggling and we have not had something like this in many years. I know God Almighty will see us through, just as we look up to the skies and keep hope alive. I want to admonish our people to keep to government directives and also of social distancing.
Mayor: Is there any plan by you for the vulnerable at this critical period?
Balogun: Yes. I have instructed my office to ensure these palliatives we are talking about go directly to the needy.
Mayor: Are you sending food to them?
Balogun: We are sending food to them and of course sanitizers. That is what we are trying to do because this is not the time to discriminate against the poor. You must ensure that whatever you do must get to the target.
