Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has charged the government to take urgent steps to improve the living standard of Nigerians, insisting that “hunger virus” is killing Nigerians more than the dreaded COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

The Sultan who spoke at the first quarterly meeting of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), in Abuja, on Thursday, said that even though, Coronavirus is killing hundreds of people across the world, “hunger virus” is the major killer of Nigerians.

He said: “There is a very serious virus that is killing Nigerians much higher than Coronavirus. That virus is hunger. There is hunger virus and it’s very serious. You need to go round the country, into the villages, into the towns and see how people are really struggling to survive.

“These are very serious issues, and as religious and community leaders, we must continue to talk about these issues, and also send our recommendations to the government and watch how the government will implement the recommendations.”

Meanwhile, the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, in his remark, reassured religious leaders that the government was seriously committed to the uplift of a good percentage of Nigerians from poverty.

He also re-emphasised that the Federal Government was committed to the security of lives and property of Nigerians, and solicited the support of the religious and community leaders to the sensitisation of Nigerians as regards efforts of government to improve the living condition of Nigerians.

He said: “To grow peace in Nigeria, NIREC must lead in the creation of awareness among adherents within and outside our communities. They should be educated in all languages on how to improve on personal hygiene, regularly monitor body temperature, report illness and follow medical advisories, reduce non-essential activities and close contact especially in crowded public spaces.