Oyo State government has distributed 80 thousand face masks in the Oke Ogun zone of the state, the commissioner for information, culture and tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, said.
Dr. Olatubosun stated this in Iseyin, the capital of Oyo North Senatorial District on Monday.
Oke Ogun is one of the five zones of the state having ten local government and eight local council development areas. It is noted that Dr Olatubosun had, two weeks ago, toured the Ogbomoso zone in the fight against COVID-19 and distributed 60,000 face masks two weeks ago.
Dr Olatubosun who, on behalf of the state’s COVID-19 Task Force, had started the tour of the zone last Thursday to distribute face masks and embark on sensitisation campaign which was aimed at stopping the spread of the disease.
In what was tagged COVID-19 tour of Oke Ogun, the commissioner tasked the traditional rulers to join in the fight against the virus by extending the sensitisation to all the nooks and crannies of their domains. “I enjoin our traditional rulers who are the custodians of a tradition to play their role.
“I’m aware that some of them had even presented palliatives, sanitisers, face masks to their subjects. This is laudable. The state government is hell-bent on improving the welfare and health of its citizens during and after the period of COVID-19,” Olatubosun said.
Olatubosun urged the residents of the zone to key into the policy of the government on compulsory wearing of the face masks, noting that government would soon enforce stringent penalties on erring residents of the state. He said that the sensitisation would help in shaping the opinions of some people on the reality of the virus.
Beginning from Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government, on Thursday, the sensitisation train moved to other parts of the zone. At Iseyin, Olatubosun said that the train would subsequently cover the last council area, Iwajowa.
Olatubosun explained that the tour and distribution of the masks would yield the desired fruition, saying that market leaders, community leaders, groups, market men and women, among others were engaged.
Like in most of the palaces earlier visited, at his palace, the Aseyin of Iseyin land, Oba Abdul Ganiy Adekunle Salaudeen, enjoined the traditional rulers and community leaders in the zone and the state, at large, to obey the precautions given by the World Health Organisation (WHO).