Anthony Okafor

A former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has warned against locking down the country over coronavirus scare, without alternative arrangements to cushion the effects of such action on the masses.

He said whilst all possible measures should be deployed to stop the spread of COVID-19, appropriate measures should be put in place to mitigate the suffering of the vulnerable in society.

In a statement by his Media Adviser, Valentine Obienyem, Obi, who was the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 election, said markets and other business ventures should not be closed to further impoverish the poor.

He said,” There are several millions of our populace who are unemployed. Their means of livelihood depends on daily income which the present situation will definitely worsen.”

He noted that in locking down the country, such vulnerable people should be factored into government plans, as was the case in other countries, by putting measures in place to cushion the effects of the lockdown on them.

Obi, who expressed gratitude for the efforts of some political leaders, captains of industry and corporate bodies, urged the Federal Government to do more to mitigate the situation, especially for poor Nigerians, as being witnessed in other climes.

He added, “It would be counter-productive to keep only the elite in mind when taking such far-reaching decisions as closing down markets without having some cushioning measures for the traders.”

He enjoined politicians, especially legislators, to go back to their constituencies to be with their people at a time like this.

“This is the time to be with your people in your various constituencies,” Obi said.

He said it did not make any sense for politicians to be observing the stay-at-home in various places outside their constituencies at this trying time, instead of being with their constituents to help their people to find solutions to their problems and challenges.

Obi said that by being in their constituencies to monitor the situation, the elected leaders will be in a position not only to support their people in time of need, but to also properly advise government on how to address the fallouts of government policies.

He called on leaders of all segments of society to make sacrifices and show commitment at this critical period in the country’s history.

Esseite:
Markets and supermarkets should not be closed... it would breed hyperinflation..

Esseite:
Markets and supermarkets should not be closed... it would breed hyperinflation..

johnmartus:
I still don't understand why this man always irritating me anytime his name mention.

And the problem is that he will never make good points. Always uttering nonsense sound unintelligent everywhere. Seriously I don't know how he managed to become governor ,well I don't blame him I just realized the state he came from . They will rather vote stupid people like Peter obi rather sane people.

AtikuNetwork:
I may not be a supporter of Wike's overbearing and dictatorial tendencies in PDP, but I will have to support his and other governor's commendable decision to lockdown their states for some weeks to slow the spread of the virus. That is the only realistic thing to do at the moment. Peter Obi is just trying to sound politically correct as usual. Only healthy people that are alive can make an economy. If COVID-19 kills every single person in Nigeria there will be no economy to talk about. The health and wellbeing of Nigerians should come first.

NaijaRoyalty:
Peter Obi and Atiku , Good president and vice Nigeria never had .