President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday announced the extension of lockdown across major states of the federation and the FCT, saying the restriction and other containment measures put in place to curtail the spread of coronavirus will last as long as medical experts suggest that they are necessary.

The president however implored Nigerians to obey the directive on restriction of movement “once more” in order to overcome the global pandemic.

Accordingly, he assured Nigerians of more interventions for vulnerable citizens in the country, just as he thanked them for their patience, resolve and strong determination to battle the COVID-19 scourge.

President Buhari had on March 29, 2020 ordered a total lockdown in Abuja as well as Lagos and Ogun States for an initial period of 14 days in a bid to stop the spread of the virus in the country.

Due to the rise in the spread of the virus the increase of the number of confirmed cases in the country, there had been speculations about possible extension of the lockdown.

As of yesterday, confirmed coronavirus cases in Nigeria rose to 318 after 13 new cases were confirmed. The virus has now spread to 19 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Currently, Lagos, Abuja and Osun have the highest number of cases at 163, 56 and 20 respectively.

The likelihood of extending the lockdown became obvious on Friday, following a meeting between President Buhari and members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

Mustapha told journalists during a media briefing on Friday that the decision to extend the lockdown or not was exclusively the responsibility of the president.

“The decision on whether to extend the lockdown or not is exclusively the decision or responsibility of the President. Ours (the PTF) is to provide him with first-hand information that would inform that decision. So, I cannot speculate on that now. But looking at what is happening in other climes, you would be able to deduce what might likely happen, but I’m not in a position to speculate on that”, he said.

Announcing the extension of the lockdown yesterday, the president in a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said, “We realize that today, there will be sons and daughters unable to visit their parents, and elders that are isolated from young ones. And there will be those who live day-to-day, eating as they earn, who face real and present suffering.

“No elected government could ask more of the citizens of the country that elected them than today we ask of you. But we must ask you – once more – to observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers: stay home, wash your hands, save lives.

“The freedoms we ask you to willingly forsake today will only last as long as our scientific advisers declare they are necessary. But they are essential – world over – to halt and defeat the spread of this virus.

“For those who suffer most egregiously, the Government has announced multiple measures to assist: 70,000 tonnes of grain is being released from the National Strategic Grain Reserves for distribution to those in most need; distribution of small cash payments are also being made, and will continue to be made by the federal government in the states and local government areas.

“We ask you to listen and follow public announcements via the mass media for instructions as to how to receive this government support – and learn of more public assistance in the coming days.

“All that the Government is asking you to endure is because nowhere in the world today is there any known way of defeating this pandemic. There is no vaccine. And that means there are choices to be made: between continuing as usual, or accepting the restrictions even when they come with unintended consequences.

“But at this darkest hour, it remains our duty to offer you the full and unvarnished truth: This is a global pandemic. 210 countries and territories across the globe are affected. We cannot expect others to come to our assistance. No one is coming to defeat this virus for us.

“Instead, the defeat of the virus in our country will be in our hands, alone. We cannot wait for others. We can only depend on ourselves now. And so we must – and we will – end this outbreak ourselves as Nigerians, together”

https://leadership.ng/2020/04/12/coronavirus-lockdown-will-last-as-long-as-necessary-pmb/

E Don Set , Nigerians are in for a Long thing

Lock down will last when more people are in hell of Trouble
Of Robbery & Hunger,
I wonder what is the fate of this country..

Much as the lockdown is needed if people go hungry they will take the law into their hands.

The pandemic was ill managed ab initio. The lockdown should have been activated against flights specifically from UK, US, Italy, China and Spain from day one. Now, it is too late. Corona Virus is now part of us going by the increasingly numbers by the day.

FG Seems Not to have Plans For Poor Daily income Earners

Oh my God, who will come to our aid now because our government has are planning to kill us all by not transferring our relief to us directly into our account but to their fellow robbers who never care about the masses but their family alone.
Please I need your support, I have a family with my wife pregnant and at heavy stage. At the moment we find it hard to feed ourself with the lockdown. I couldn't cry to anyone but to the public. Hunger is about to finish us please.
2078711901 (UBA)
May you be rewarded abundantly

2020 already coming off as a year better not remembered.

Ok

Confused PMB