COVID-19: Lockdown Is Necessary To Curb Spread Of Virus, Says Minister

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs Ramatu Aliyu, says the lockdown imposed by President Muhammadu Buhari is necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19 across the country.

She stated this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

“No nation prays for that and I will not speak for Mr President. But from what we have seen in other developed climes, lockdown seems to be one of the best ways out of the pandemic ravaging and spreading.

“So to curb this spread and to reduce it to the barest minimum, the lockdown is better. So many parameters have to come to play here. That is why it is the decision of the leadership,” she said.

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The Minister also asked residents of the FCT and indeed all Nigerians to avoid unnecessary movements around their environment.

While asking the masses to wear face masks and maintain the social distancing measures, she wants the citizens to follow the directives set out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Aliyu’s remarks come few hours before President Muhammadu Buhari is to address the nation on the next step taken by his administration to curb COVID-19 in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina confirmed this development in a statement today.

President Buhari is expected to address Nigerians on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as some residents in Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory expect to know whether the lockdown would be extended or not.

There are way over a million positive cases of COVID-19 confirmed across the world, with thousands of deaths recorded in many countries.