A couple of hours from now, Governor Nyesom Wike would be rubbing minds with purveyors of news.
The stakes are high. The State is in the midst of a war. There are steps to take and solutions to find as the Coronavirus digs in.
Already journalists have received invitations to attend the briefing which is expected to take place at the Government House, Port.Harcourt.
Nobody expects a crowded hall. The rules of engagement require that people maintain social distancing even after they have washed their hands and sanitized them.
Baring any last moment change in plan, Governor Wike would bare his mind on a number of critical issues relating to the fight against the pandemic.
What will Wike say? What will he do?
There is some level of excitement as journalists prepare to storm the venue of the briefing.
In Lagos and Abuja, their editors who are already in the picture can’t wait to lay their hands on well written copy. Some of those reports would make headlines the next day, others won’t. That’s perhaps, the nature of the job.
In Rivers State, where events are steadily unfolding, there are great expectations; great worries to bother about too.
Cases of the Coronavirus have increased despite efforts to prevent the outbreak. The State has at least six confirmed cases of the virus.
There are indications that what the Rivers State Government feared most may have happened. One of the affected persons, we have heard, may be from the oil platforms around the State.
Dakuku Peterside, one-time Director General of NIMASA had hinted at it in an exclusive interview with the Port Harcourt Telegraph.
He said people, including the government, should not lose sight of the fact that Rivers is at the centre of the oil industry.
There are strong indications that there are concerns within and outside the government.
Medical personal fear they are not properly equipped with personal protective equipment. The implication is that those on the front lines fighting the disease are not safe.
For Government, a full blown spread of the virus would amount to a drain on lean economic resources.
Such a situation may reveal shortcomings which might be associated with the State’s healthcare scheme, .
The case of a returnee businessman from Abuja, allegedly afflicted with the virus, who headed straight to his hotel room at Rumuomasi has complicated matters.
He is said to have died as a result of the virus.
His manager is said to have tested positive. Strangely, the manager is believed to have escaped to his village after falling sick.
There is also speculation that the hotel owner may have been evacuated by a taxi to a morgue. That would probably suggest that the identity or whereabout of the cab driver may not be known.
This may justify the lockdown of Rumuomasi, a sprawling settlement of natives and non natives, which houses the hospitality business where the hotel owner stayed.
Next door, are establishments owned by the Royal Dutch company, Shell. As things are, Rumuomasi may turn out to be at the epicentre of the concern that is gradually building, if utmost care is not taken.
It is densely populated and contact tracing which has been taking place in parts of the State may have begun in the area.
Some of these issues, true or not, may fall within the realm of things that Wike might dwell on when he briefs the press.
At the national level, permission to reasonably ease the lockdown has been granted.
Everywhere across the world, there is a strong yearning among the people. They want their governments to allow a return to the public place.
This means people would be on the streets, confronted by danger against the background of a quest to survive; and the absence of sufficient testing kits required to affirm the health status of the people.
Money and food are at the centre of increasing demands to end the lockdown.
The fear of death does not appear to matter for now. It would rather seem that the people are prepared to die fending for themselves and their families.
Those who die would in time be forgotten, except for history, if it captures the bare facts of what may have transpired.
Those who survive will continue the journey of life. They would inherit the task to drive the affairs of society.
Such is life, that at a time like this, making decisions which impact on public health and the economic wellbeing of the people won’t be easy.
Weighing the pro and cons is the business of government. That fact would weigh heavily on Wike’s mind as he attempts to communicate his administration’s position.
Whichever way the coin spins, the burden is Wike’s. He swore to an oath to keep the people safe.
Wike may opt for stringent measures, meaning he might favour a further lockdown despite his appreciation of the difficulties this may pose.
There may be advantages in partially opening the State economy. It may be an easy way out for Wike, but what will the consequence be?
Like President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Wike must make decisions; decisions that would be far reaching when he meets the press.
The Rivers people expect no less. Their lives are on the line either way, with some among them saying they would rather die on the street instead of dying at home of hunger.
As Governor of Rivers State, Wike would bear the burden of leadership when he faces the press. It is his date with destiny.
Of course, there are expectations that Wike would tell Rivers people what his administration is doing at this time.
Beyond the preventive approach which has apparently minimized the menace of the virus, what else would government bring to the table?
Equally sensitive, is the issue of palliatives. Its distribution has commenced, but it is doubtful a large chunk of the State’s most vulnerable people have been impacted upon.
Government officials say the journey has just began. Wike would possibly focus on the attempt he is making to take edibles to the doorstep of the masses.
Where will Wike go from here? Will he buy time? Will he be diplomatic? Will he bark like President Trump? Will he have satisfactory answers?
Will the media raise appropriate questions, given the state of the nation and what may look as the evolving situation in Rivers State?
What will be Wike’s response? In what direction would the Wike administration drag the Rivers people?
Soon, in a couple of hours, the long wait for what Wike would say would come to an end.