NANS condemns FG’s decision to relax lockdown order

…Says FG not fully prepared in fighting COVID-19

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has strongly condemned the federal government’s decision to relax the lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ogun and Lagos states.

The students’ body in a release signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Azeez Adeyemu, berated the federal government for relaxing the lockdown order, insisting the government is not fully prepared to fight the spread of the deadly pandemic.

NANS insisted that the federal government’s directive that traders vselling foodstuffs should operate between 10am to 2pm in Ogun, Lagos and Abuja has further exposed the government’s unseriousness, unpreparedness and lack of policy directive in the fight against the spread of the virus.

“Radical problems require radical solutions. The federal government cannot relax the lockdown by opening market and there won’t be vehicular and mass human movement.

“This new development will do no good, but to further increase the risk of more people contracting the virus. The government’s decision will further expose innocent Nigerians to the risk of contracting the virus even on a large scale.

“The government has done nothing good, but to further promote the spread of the coronavirus by opening markets. And as concerned and responsible body of students in Nigeria, we call on the federal government to immediately reverse the decision.

“If we want to really defeat the evil plaguing this country called COVID-19, we must be ready to pay the price no matter the cost. The number of victims is drastically increasing every day and we must not allow the virus to get out of control.

“It is a shame that the federal government is not considering COVID-19 a dangerous pandemic that can consume the entire nation if not properly managed, otherwise, what else can we call this unseriousness and deliberate carelessness on the part of the federal government?”the student body asked.

NANS also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the alleged distribution of N3 billion by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq to the vulnerable people within 24 hours.

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The students’ body challenged the minister to provide Nigerians with adequate information of how the money was spent.

NANS also called on President Buhari to set up a fact- finding committee to investigate the alleged distribution of cash with the view of finding out if the money was really distributed to the vulnerable Nigerians.

NANS also called on the federal and state governments that have promised to support Nigerians with relief materials like foodstuffs and stipends to focus on the vulnerable people.

The students’ body specifically, want the government to focus on people with daily income whose sources of livelihood would be cut off following the lockdown.

According to NANS, this category of people includes petty traders, widows, aged, artisans, orphans, students and the unemployed, among others.