Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, says the state has activated precautionary measures against Ebola despite having no reported case of the disease.

Otti disclosed this on Friday in Umuahia during his monthly media chat for October, where he said the state had established an isolation centre at the Mother and Child Hospital, Umuahia, which was recently renovated.

He said, “We activated all the protocols here. We have set up an isolation centre, the Mother and Child Hospital in Umuahia, which has just been renovated.

“We have said we won’t open it for public use. We have designated an isolation centre just in case. But at the moment, we don’t have any reported cases.

“We are not resting on our oars. So everybody should also observe the protocols and do what you need to do, but do not panic. So we have to be ready just in case, and we are ready.”

The governor also expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Abia State Eye Health Management Bureau, disclosing that 31,000 people had undergone screening, while 1,811 patients had received surgeries.

He said, “We have also recorded a lot of cases. Out of 31,000 screening exercises that have been done, surgeries have been conducted on about 1,811 patients. 304 of them were free cataract surgery.”

Otti said the state had established 25 eye centres across the 17 local government areas, with plans to increase the number to 29.

“As of the last count, the state has 25 eye centres that have been set up in different parts of the state, 17 local governments, adding each of the local governments has at least one. But then we also have another eight, bringing it up to 25. And then I have just approved another four to bring the total to 29. It’s not just setting up the eye centres,” he said.

On the Federal Government’s decision to introduce Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses, the governor said Abia had opted for electric vehicles for its public transportation system.

He, however, said the state was not opposed to CNG, adding that some companies had expressed interest in establishing refuelling stations in the state.

Otti said, “We are not doing CNG. We are doing electric. We have been having a lot of companies showing interest. I think we have even agreed with one or two of them to set up motor stations here for CNG. And that will not be for public transportation.

“It will be for others. So, it is cheaper to run your vehicle on CNG than petrol. But the truth is that two of them are internal combustion engines. So, moving to electric moves you a notch higher. But that requires a different set of engines. So, we are not opposed to CNG.

“But we chose electric vehicles for our public transportation. I am also aware that some companies have specialised in converting internal combustion engines. No, in converting petrol and diesel to CNG. We are not opposed to it, but we are not introducing it in our public transportation system.”

The governor also used the media chat to review his administration’s performance across various sectors of the state, including road construction, healthcare, power and utilities.