“This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death.”
President Muhammadu Buhari
The March 29 lockdown of the two states and the FCT has today, 13 April 2020, been extended by two weeks to further install measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari said last night in a broadcast that he recognizes that people are suffering from being unable to carry out their daily economic activities but asked the citizens to persevere.
He said the duty of government at this time is to protect lives while ensuring that the livelihood of workers and business owners are protected.
He appealed for cooperation of the citizens with the government to successfully battle Coronavirus.
“This is not a joke,” he said, “It is a matter of life and death.”
As at last night, 343 Nigerians had been diagnosed with Covid-19, while 10 had died from the coronavirus-bearing disease.
Three cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the South East to date, two in Enugu and one in Anambra States.
President Buhari said the decision to extend the lockdown in the three affected areas was difficult but that he is convinced it was the right thing to do.
According to him, even though no country can afford the full impact of sustaining the lockdown on her economy, the consequences of prematurely ending it will nevertheless be unimaginable.
Click here to read the full text of the President’s speech
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