The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the reported death of 50 children from measles in Abua/Odual Local Governmenent of the state.
Spokesperson of the party, Senibo Chris Finebone in a statement on Tuesday, said the deaths showed carelessness on the part of government, who he said have failed to immunize children and sensitize the citizenry.
He noted that the deaths were avoidable had the state government done the needful.
“The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) condemns the continued neglect of serious measles outbreak ravaging some communities in Abua-Odual Local Government Area. The seriously affected communities include Kugbo Clan, Amurouttoru-Kugbo, Emago-Kugbo and Akani-Kugbo communities.
“It is a fact that these deaths of innocent children were avoidable had the Rivers State Government done the needful. The outbreak of measles in the area is as a result of neglect and lack of surveillance by government public health officials; failure by the government to immunize babies, and a total lack of sensitization of the local population.
“However, while Gov. Wike was busy vain-glorifying himself during the so-called commissioning of the 7th overhead bridge in Port Harcourt, elsewhere in Abua-Odual communities, distraught and grief-stricken parents were busy burying their dead children killed by measles.
“It beats the imagination of descent minds that same Abua-Odual Local Government Area belongs to the axis where annual floods ravage without end and the governor of the State never cares.
“While Gov. Wike and his Party, the PDP, are dancing Kokoma with Rivers money, scores of children in Abua-Odual Local Government Area have died and still dying in many of the communities in the area.
“This is a shame that a State with a public health expert as deputy governor and with so much resource will suffer this kind of neglect and maladministration to the point of children paying with their innocent lives.
“As if people of the State have not suffered enough from the governor’s bad governance and political hocus-pocus, his once henchmen have now declared an open political war with him. Sadly for the ordinary people of the State, the governor and his party men are fiddling while Rome is burning.”
Community leaders in Kugbo Clan in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the State had raised an alarm over the outbreak of measles said to have resulted in death of 50 children.
