The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has urged Nigerians in the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic to abide by the extended stay-at-home directive in the nation’s collective interest.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy, Madueke, BMO said President Muhammadu Buhari had little or no choice than a two-week extension of the lock-down of Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There is no one that has more information than President Buhari on the trajectory of the virus in local communities or the capacity of the relevant authorities to stem the tide of infection.
“So for him to take what he described as a painful decision in his nationwide broadcast, and even alluding to the choice between life and death, then Nigerians should know that it was a well-thought-out position.
“Even in countries with more developed health facilities, the emphasis is on physical distancing with little or no movement of people at this time because it is the most effective way of limiting community transmission of the virus.
“The alternative is to ease the lockdown and have a situation like that of Ecuador which has recorded so many deaths from the virus attack that dead bodies are abandoned on roads and where coffins have become so scarce that they now resort to cardboard coffins. Even the US, with its acclaimed health facilities, is recording an average of 1,500 deaths on a daily basis.
“This is the kind of scenario the President is making efforts to avoid, and even a country like India, with a 1.3billion population and more people per square kilometre, has just extended its nationwide lockdown by 21-days after the expiration of an earlier three-week stay-at-home directive.
“Nigeria’s coronavirus figure is low in relation to its population when compared to other countries and this has a lot to do with the manner the Buhari administration has risen to the challenge and we urge the citizenry to continue to abide by the Federal Government’s directives.
“It is our considered opinion that if we unlock prematurely, we may lose what we gained in two weeks in a few hours,” it added.
BMO commended the decision to expand the scope of beneficiaries of government palliatives but also encouraged Nigerians to lend a helping hand in their immediate communities
“It is gratifying that the President has directed that one million more households be added to the National Social Register for poor and vulnerable people which had 2.6m households before now. This means that more people will benefit from the ongoing Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and the distribution of food supplies.
“The onus is now on the relevant authorities to speed up the process of disbursement nationwide as well as keep Nigerians well-informed in order not to give room for purveyors of fake news to seize the initiative with false narratives.
“We also want to appeal to Nigerians that this is the time to activate our age-long capacity for being our brothers’ keepers and extend a hand of fellowship to the less privileged in our communities.
“Despite the palliatives being offered by the government, it is necessary to collectively deploy our sense of community to provide for the underprivileged in our neighbourhoods and extend family bonding beyond the confines of our immediate families.
“We, however, acknowledge that several individuals and groups are already doing this across the country and we urge more Nigerians to toe a similar line. Even in developed countries, many people are using this as an opportunity to do a lot more to reach out to less endowed community members.”
The group also drew attention to the N50bn targeted Credit facility stimulus package to support households and businesses affected by the COVID 19 pandemic being disbursed by NIRSAL Microfinance bank and urge Nigerians to take advantage of it.