Ogoja Food Poisoning should attract national concern and sympathy —Princewill Odidi

Efio-Ita Nyok|26 March 2017

Ikom, Cross River-born development economist, social entrepreneur and public affairs analyst, Mr Princewill Odidi, has contended that the 24th March Oboso Mbube food poisoning in Ogoja LGA should constitute headlines of national dailies, inciting similar nation wide concerns, sympathy and humanitarian gestures NegroidHaven can report.

In a social media thread tagged, ‘Where is the conscience of our nation?’ Odidi who argued that a tragedy of this nature affecting entire communities aren’t everyday instances, thereby legitimising why it should attract national response, also noted that when a similar occurrence transpired in faraway Charlestown South Carolina, then President Barack Obama paid a visit to the affected town.

His words, ‘An aggrieved man was said to have poisoned food in a restaurant that left two dead and several hospitalized in Oboso Mbube. These are not every day happenstances, but because it affects an entire community the state and national response should be different.

‘In Charlestown South Carolina a young disturbed white man walked into a black church and shot at close range some church members in a bible study, because of the nature of the crime it made national headlines and President Obama visited the town’.

The social entrepreneur observed that with the occurrence of this incident this shouldn’t be the time for debating the certificate saga of Kogi Senator, Dino Melaye or Senate President Bukola Saraki’s luxurious cars impounded by the embattled Comptroller General of Customs Hameed Ali. Engaging in such a trend shows that, ‘We are loosing it as a people’. Odidi who concluded his commentary with a rhetorical question ‘Where is the conscience of the nation?’ hoped that the state governor, Commissioner for Health or president would be paying a visit to Oboso Mbube.

‘In our own backyard, in Mbube, a troubled man poisoned food that killed two and hospitalized over 40, that should be national news and should attract national concern, sympathy and outpouring of humanitarian assistance, but because as Nigerians we have lost every sense of compassion and regard for human life especially when it affects the poor, I hope our state Governor, his Commisioner’s and even our President have been briefed or thought of visiting the community to felicitate with the grieved and offer support to the community.

‘Rather as a nation, while communities are being ravaged by food poisoning, we spend our time debating and talking about Dino Malaye certificate scam and Saraki luxurious cars. We are loosing it as a people. Where is the conscience of the nation?’, he concluded.

Information reaching us has it that the Commissioner for Health, Dr Inyang Asibong, has made swift response and there’s a health team already on ground in Ogoja.

Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org