While monitoring the compliance of the Plateau State Government for a total lockdown of the State, Publishers of NewsGate Magazine, NewsCrest Newspaper, News Parrot, Grassroots Magazine, and Reporters of FRCN,SkyNews Newspaper,The Age Newspaper and Information Officer of the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board interviewed Hon Rwang Choji, the Secretary of Barkin Ladi LGC on the level of compliance and challenges the council is facing in the  fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

Enjoy the Excerpts:

Newsgate Magazine: Sir for the benefit of our readers, can we know you?

Secretary:Good afternoon, my name is Rwang Dusu, the Secretary of Barkin Ladi Local Government council and for this exercise,I am also the Chairman of the Compliance Committees set up for Barkin Ladi LGC Covid-19.

Newsgate Magazine: We are moving round checking the compliance in the tateS, how compliant is Barkin Ladi LGA to the directives of the
 Executive Governor that the State should be on total lockdown to preventtheCoronavirusPandemic?

Secretary:On getting the message, what we first did was to set up various committees,similar to that set up by the State, and in each district,Councillors and District Heads are the ones who should be monitoring.
Most of the districts have had meetings so every minutes of their meetings is forwarded to the Local Government to the Secretariat,so there have been compliance.Yes they have.Though you can see some people who were unable to comply have been brought to the police station and the court for prosecution at the early hours of today. We started with two people who were not complying but as time went on the numbers increased and they are going through due process for conviction in the police station and the court set up by the State Government.So far about  twenty two people have been convicted from both Bokkos and Barkin Ladi LGAs.

Newsgate Magazine:This lockdown came with a lot of hardships to people especially to those who live oñ daily income. Does your Local Government Council have any palliative measures to cushion the effects of the one week lockdown?

Secretary: We always look at the bigger pictures,the truth is that we can't feed everyone,but we wish we can, but the issues now is about life and survival. I think for you to achieve something great there must be high level of sacrifice which I think that is the bigger picture. We should be looking at how much the people are willing to sacrifice to go through this pains, even the emerging world economist before they grow and blow to be mega economies,there are sacrifices they make possibly these are our own sacrifices.I think we should all work together to see that we  are able to pass through this dark phase of the Coronavirus Pandemic,to put a check to this menace.

Newsgate Magazine:Sir, the State Special Intervention Programme(SIP) is said to have disbursed money to about Sixty One Thousand Households who it said to have received Twenty ThousandNaira (N20,000)  each,what is the authorities of Barkin Ladi LGC doing tract the record of payments for the people of Barkin Ladi LGA?

Secretary:In an issue like this, if it were the local Government that is disbursing it,I would have given you facts and figures, but I dont want to go and talk about something that is  not from the Local Government Council without permission and properunderstanding.

Newsgate: Have you monitored to know if the people,the poorest of the poor in your Local Government Area have really receive the palliative measures?

Secretary: I will be honest,we have not searched in that direction,but is of utmost importance for us now is the compliance and that's fully what we are doing now.

 Newsgate:As the Chairman of the Compliance Committee,what are the challenges your committee is facing in this total lockdown?

Secretary:While there are many committees,I just oversee the whole committees,but for now  I think the challenge will be more in the side of the people, how compliant they are,and I am sure as you are driving to Barkin Ladi LGA, you saw the  Level of compliance.But I think in that regard,earlier today,we had a case of suspected Coronavirus which Health Workers of the  LGC later said it was tuberculosis.The person is around Karan   Bisichi.The public thought he has the virus,but the Councillor of Health and other Health Workers from the State Government came from the Hospital and carry out tests and the results was negative but it was Tuberculosis,that was a false alarm.But we are still going to put him under isolation.We are taking him to the Hospital for the two weeks mandatory observation,so we will be perfectly sure of what is.