As the impromptu lockdown on Bonny Local Government Area by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike enters Day 9, there are indications that the hopes of residents for palliatives or any form of cushioning effects will be dashed.

Checks by Kristina Reports indicate that the Palliatives Committee set up by the Governor during his meeting with the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Pepple III, CON, Perekule XI,  Chairman, Bonny LGA, David Irimagha, and other stakeholders from Bonny LGA, on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 was yet to meet.

Consequently, this tabloid learnt that no discussions have been held or decisions taken on how to provide palliatives to the residents of the area who have been subjected to unbearable suffering in the wake of the lockdown.

The economy of the island LGA has been shut down since the imposition of the lockdown midnight Sunday, June 21, 2020 with no cushions of any kind for residents, majority of whom survive on their daily earnings.

Meanwhile, a team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at the Bonny Isolation Centre have been going round the town collecting samples from residents for testing.

At the same time, some of the positive cases undergoing treatment at the isolation located inside the General Hospital, Bonny were said to be responding to treatment and recovering well.

An official of the NCDC, who does not want to be named, hinted Kristina Reports today that “our patients are doing well, they are responding to treatment and that is some cheering news”.

On the other hand security agencies have effectively been managing the lockdown with little or no incidents. Incidences of violations and skirmishes between the security operatives across the LGA have also taken a nosedive.

Some of the residents, who spoke to Kristina Reports, say instead of palliatives that is not likely to come, the Governor should just lift the lockdown already.

Nsikak Udom, a commercial motorcycle operator, who said he makes average of N3,000 per day, expressed his readiness to return to his business rather than sit at home and watch his family starve.

“If they want to test, they should come and test us instead of locking us down to die of hunger. To me, the purpose of the lockdown is already defeated. You want to help people but you’re keeping them hungry.”

He called on the State Government to do house-to-house testing rather than lockdown as the measure, according to him, was not yielding any results.

Another resident, Belema Ikiriko wondered why the government would declare a lockdown and not provide any form of cushioning initiative to ease the pain residents have had to undergo during the lockdown, appealing to Wike to either call off the lockdown or provide palliatives.

Also, a resident, who simply identified himself as Desmond, lamented that “since April I have not gone to work and I have not been paid. I have had to borrow to feed my family without any hope of getting the money to pay back. The Governor should consider us and ease this lockdown so that we can return to our jobs”.