₦airaland Forum

Friday prayers were held in all Juma’at mosques in Bauchi metropolis and other towns across the state yesterday despite having three confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the state. Our correspondent who went round the metropolis observed huge attendance in mosques amid the new trend of keeping sanitizers, water and detergents at the entrance for washing of hands.

Although the state government has not banned juma’at prayers and church services, it earlier banned congregations of more than 50 persons. The Deputy Governor and Chairman, Taskforce Response Committee on Covid-19, Senator Baba Tela, on Thursday disclosed the suspension of the lockdown while briefing newsmen in Bauchi. He said the suspension followed consultations with opinion leaders, statesmen, ulamas and the clergy, security agencies, healthcare professionals and taking into cognizance of the fact that majority of the people work for daily sustenance.

He said borders in the state would be closed for an initial period of 14 days effective from 6pm Thursday, and enjoined citizens to maintain one-to-one point spacing and avoid overcrowding, adding that social distancing should also be maintained in mosques, churches, markets, weddings and other social gatherings.

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Pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, yesterday faulted the timing of the lockdown announced by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying people should have been given a few days’ notice to prepare for the shutdown. “While we agree that a lockdown is necessary at this point, it should not have been done as if we were shutting down a barrack under 24 hours,” the group said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin. The group also picked holes in the president’s broadcast, saying the only thing new in the speech is the lockdown of Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory. Odunakin stated: “Afenifere has taken note of the overdue presidential broadcast on Covid – 19.

We honestly cannot fathom why it took so long for such to come as the only thing new in it was locking down FCT, Lagos and Ogun states. “The rest of the broadcast are about washing hands and sneezing on elbows and handkerchiefs which can only stil be useful to the Senator removing his face mask to sneeze for the consumption of his colleagues at this point. “It is a big shame that a rich country like Nigeria has been badly run over the years and up till the time we issued this that it cannot afford any serious stimulus package for its citizens beyond moratorium for N-power earners. “

By the way, we do not understand where the president was asking the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to go and get students to be feeding with School Feeding Programme when all students in the country are at home.” Related Afenifere faults Buhari's broadcast on COVID-19 Soyinka: Buhari's lockdown order illegal, unconstitutional COVID-19: Why Buhari locked down FCT, Lagos, Ogun

Kaduna State Government has repatriated about 3,000 Almajiri since Monday in line with its directives to close down all formal and informal schools so as to prevent any spread of the coronavirus in the state. Daily Trust observed dozens of Almajiri boarding about seven buses belonging to Kaduna Line around Barnawa for onward repatriation to their respective states.

One of the Islamic teachers at the Almajiri schools in Barnawa told Daily Trust that the boys were being evacuated by the Kaduna State government to their various states adding that the teachers had lectured the boys on the disease and explained to them why they were returning to their parents. State Commissioner for Human and Social ‎Development in Kaduna State, Hajiya Hafsat Baba when contacted told our correspondent that about 3, 000 Almajiri boys were evacuated from the state in the last two days adding that others from states such as Enugu, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, Bauchi, Nasarawa and Saminaka in Kaduna state were provided transport fares.

Baba said the exercise was ongoing until the state is certain all Almajiri children have been returned to their various homes while adding that the popular Kaduna Beggers’ home along Kano Road will be shut down by the state government. She said the home was overcrowded and that the state government was concerned about the health of the occupants adding that the leaders of the beggars at the house had agreed to abide by government ‘s measures to return to their various states after a meeting with the ministry. “Their health is of importance to Kaduna state government but we resolved to include them in some of our programmes such as training and empowerment as well as providing additional rehabilitation centres in the state,” she said.

“There is another place close to Kano road Mosque where they usually stay, we have also evacuated them. In fact, they have promised to leave for their states. On Tuesday, about three buses left with many of them including the blind, crippled and other vulnerable people. She thanked Shaikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi who she said personally sent a text messages to all his schools in the state to shutdown.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon collapse with the return of Adams Oshiomhole as its National Chairman. The PDP, in a statement on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the ruling party is a fizzling political platform facing “inevitable” extinction.

The party lampooned Oshiomhole for his alleged failed attempt to divert public attention from the “rot in his party by blaming the PDP and respected Nigerians for the self-inflicted infighting in the APC, for which he is largely responsible.” “It is therefore instructive for Oshiomhole to note that the PDP is too busy to be interested in the APC or engage itself in any brickbat with a failed political party whose end has come.

“APC can no longer beguile Nigerians as they have since come to know that it is nothing but a power-grabbing vehicle designed to fleece our nation and subjugate the citizens. “Mr. Oshiomhole should thus concentrate on his role as the undertaker of the APC until he buries the ashes of his fizzling party and save Nigerians the trauma of suffering which the APC has come to represent, instead of dabbling into the activities of our great party,” the PDP said.