By Yusuf Adua
Gboyega Akosile, the chief press secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo_Olu of Lagos state has expressed his profound gratitude to God for availing him the opportunity to recover from the monstrous coronavirus. The journalist announcing that he is back on the beat through his twitter handle.
Narrating how he got to know he was infected with the virus, he said, ” I must state here that I have never completed a full dose of any malaria treatment or drugs before getting back on my feet in my adult life, never! In fact, you would have to remind me sometimes before taking my drugs because I would have felt well after taking the second dose”. He then said that that record was broken as his health began to deteriorate between the 2nd and 3rd of July with severe body pain and cold creeping in.
Mr. Gboyega and his household – wife, and driver had to go for a COVID_19 test which he informed the governor who ordinarily does order all his aides to check themselves often but they all came out positive even the driver, an asymptomatic patient who was still leading a normal life after testing positive. Awaiting the result of the test, he admitted that he was loosing comportion but he took responsibility when on official duties. He said, ” I needed to take responsibility by ensuring that nothing was discharged into the atmosphere from my side”.
The real show began after Mr. Akosile left the statehouse whom the driving from Marina to Ikeja was like travelling from Lagos to New York. He then remembered how his wife took the job of a resident nurse when they got home.
“I duly informed my principal and then called my direct boss, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, the Chief of Staff to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who immediately made arrangements for my treatment. The doctors called in and asked that we isolate at home. They tutored me on all the protocols, most of them I was already familiar with, having been part of the communication team on Lagos State Government’s response to COVID-19”. He alluded to the fact that case management started in two days during which every symptom of COVID_19 was staring him in the face.
He also recalled the unpleasant experience where his wife ‘s health took a downward turn. He said “On Tuesday, July 14, her SPO2 went down to 88! That was when it dawned on everyone that she had to be evacuated to an isolation centre. She was taken to the Onikan centre, where she received some of the best treatment that COVID-19 patients in the United States of America are looking for”.
The press secretary said he wasn’t able to establish contact with his wife until after five days when they spoke through video calls anand the closest he was to her was when he took her birthday cake there for a symbolic celebration. He, therefore, seized the opportunity to restate that” people do not necessarily die of COVID-19. You lose people to complications from underlining ailments”.
To Mr. Gboyega, It is very important to conduct comprehensive medical checks, even if it is once in a year as they never knew that his darling wife was suffering from pneumonia and had some blood clot-related issues which never manifested because she’d always been okay.
He however immensely praised the Lagos State Government for their proactive and dignified response to the pandemic tagging them as “a model State on the COVID-19 response in Africa”.
He also specifically appreciated Governor Sanwo_Olu who to him built excess capacity in readiness for the pandemic which has helped the State to manage the effects of the of the deadly virus since it broke out. He also saw the need to acknowledge the stout efforts of the Ministry of Health, the health workers; doctors, nurses, and drivers, among others who ensured that her wife, like all the other patients that were brought in under very terrible conditions, returned home with joy as all his family members who were positive are now back to their feet spick and span.
As always been said, Mr. Gboyega also reaffirmed the reality of the virus. According to him, ” COVID-19 is not a hoax, it’s very real. Use your face mask wash your hands regularly, use sanitizer, and please keep to the social distance protocols”.