THERE is palpable anxiety among Nigerians as the eased lockdown regime in Lagos and Ogun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) begins today.
President Muhammadu Buhari had, last week Monday, announced the relaxation of the lockdown in the two states and FCT, with banks, government offices, among others set to resume operations.
Many Nigerians watch as each state of the federation releases the guidelines to contain the spread of the new Coronavirus and key into the curfew imposed nationwide by the Federal Government, starting from 8.00 p.m to 6.00 a.m.
There are questions on the extent of compliance of Nigerians with the mandatory use of face masks, mandatory temperature checks at motor parks, social distancing in commercial vehicles and construction sites.
All eyes will be on staff limit in government offices, crowd control in neighbourhood markets, number of customers to be allowed into banks, compliance with the curfew, especially in Lagos, provision of hand sanitisers for passengers and less contact with people.
Across the concerned cities where lockdown is being relaxed, some residents regarded the decision to ease the lockdown as premature as many others urged Nigerians to observe precautionary measures.
Some other Nigerians said they would not risk resumption while a group of political parties asked the president to, instead, declare a nation- wide lockdown.
Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sun- day, however, rolled out new guidelines to gradually unlock the state, insisting that all movements in and out of Lagos remain prohibited, except for essential services.
At a press conference held at the State House, Marina, the governor said the measures would last for six weeks, in three phases of two weeks each and subject to a review. In the new guidelines, numbered over 30, all public servants in the state public service are to remain at home today, with only critical staff on Grade Levels 15 and above, as well as those adjudged as critical staff by their accounting officers expected to resume work tomorrow.
Frontline workers across all levels are expected to continue working, while all staff in local government and local council development area offices in the state are to remain at home during the period, unless otherwise directed by their council chairmen.
The guidelines also allow all open markets and stores to operate on alternate days of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, between the hours of 9.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m., while markets and stores selling all other items excluding food will open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Sanwo-Olu said: “Private sector companies and businesses will be permitted to operate within a limited framework. What this means is that offices and businesses are allowed to open only between 9.00 a.m. and 3.00
p.m. daily; and must limit the number of staff on the business premises to no more than 60 per cent of full capacity, at any point in time.
“Offices that choose to have some of their staff come into the office must also put in place adequate and complete arrangements for the daily transportation of these staff, to and from work, to reduce the risk of exposure to infection while commuting on public transport.”
The governor said banks and other financial institutions could open their branches and offer full complement of services to the public, but must make sure that they comply with all the directives regarding maximum office capacity and physical distancing.
He said manufacturing and construction companies would be allowed to operate between 9.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m., noting that any such company that had to operate outside these hours must obtain a waiver from the state government.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said: “The issuance of these waivers will be conditional upon a firm commitment from the applying company that it will make adequate and complete arrangements for the transportation of staff between their homes and places of work.”
In the guidelines, eateries and restaurants are allowed to open between 9.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m., but only for take-out and delivery services, as there will be no in- dining services.
All places of worship, formal or informal, remain closed from any form of assemblage or congregational services, until further notice, with the prohibition also applied to religious gatherings that may be conducted within homes, such as communal Tarawih prayers, or house fellowships. Other guidelines read: “All schools, at primary, secondary and tertiary levels remain physically closed. Private school proprietors and parents/guardians are encouraged to meaningful dialogue regarding the delivery of education through various online and digital channels and, very importantly, the cost implication of same.
“All recreational parks, spas, salons, sporting facilities and public gyms, swimming pools and sporting facilities shall continue to remain closed, until further notice.
“Hotels are to remain closed till further notice. However, those hotels being used by the state government to accommodate frontline medical personnel, as well as those designated and being used as quarantine and isolation centres are wholly exempted from this directive.
“Any hotel that is not exempted from this directive and is found to be open or operational will not only be sealed but will be prosecuted by the Lagos State government.
“Commercial/commuter operations within Lagos State shall be between the hours of a.m. and 7.00 p.m. daily. This applies only to motor vehicles. All commercial motorcycle operations in Lagos State are hereby suspended until further notice. Tricycles operating in unrestricted areas must not carry more than two passengers per trip.
“Water transport operations shall, however, be restricted to the period between 6.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily.”
The governor said the directives on the conduct of funerals would continue to be in place, while he asked that all families with pending funerals could go ahead with no more than 20 persons present, including the officiating religious leaders.
He said: “Receptions and parties are prohibited; all guests must disperse to their homes immediately after the funeral ceremony.”
All the directives in the guidelines must be accompanied by mandatory practices, including use of face-masks everywhere in public and strict adherence to personal hygiene practices.
To achieve easier enforcement of the new guidelines, the governor said the state government had launched whistle-blower hotlines as he encouraged residents to be on the lookout for violators.
Nigerians fear community transmission, demand total lockdown
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives expressed displeasure over President Buhari’s decision to relax the lockdown order in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT.
The caucus, in a statement signed by its leader, Honourable Kingsley Chinda, express concern that the Federal Government was more concerned about the health of the economy than the life of Nigerians, while calling for a reversal of the lifting on the lockdown.
Chairman of the defunct United Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, noted that President Buhari was pressured to relax the lockdown, warning Nigerians to be wary of the likelihood of an explosion of community transmission of the deadly scourge.
Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rasfajani, warned Nigerians to adhere to the precautionary measures, else they fall victim to the virus.
He said: “I expected a study to show evidence of lockdown reducing the spread or otherwise. So far there is no scientific and medical studies in Nigeria justifying the removal of the lockdown.”
An estate valuer, Mr Olayiwola Alonge, advised government to be serious about inter-state travels, to contain the spread of the virus in the country.
He urged the federal and state governments to show more commitment to fighting the disease by sensitising and educating people in rural areas to prevent a community transmission.
A resident of Ogun State, Mr Wale Adenaya, expressed shock over the call for resumption to duties in Ogun and Lagos states, adding that: “We have by ourselves opened the floodgates of a more calamitous situation which the Coronavirus will likely visit upon us.”
Another resident of Ogun State, Mr Wale Junaid, said the relaxation of lockdown and resumption of workers is a dangerous gamble.
He said: “It is illogical in the sense that the number of COVID-19 casualties is on the increase and we are now encouraging people to go out. Possibility of infection of COVID-19 is expectedly going to be higher in view of the un- popular decision of the government. Stress of lockdown may be high but the danger of easing down the lockdown at this time is higher and more grievous.”
We are not resuming work, COVID-19 is real – Abuja residents
Some Abuja residents expressed fear over today’s resumption of work amidst the increasing rate of infection from COVID-19 in the FCT.
A resident of the FCT, John Onipe Salawu, said while the lockdown does not help the economy, relaxing it would not help the containment of the spread of COVID-19.
He, however, noted that government was forced to relax the lockdown because it lacked capacity to meet the needs of the people.
Salawu said: “It is a 50/50 kind of fear and hope. It is now a battle between the virus and hunger as both are pandemics.”
Another resident of Abuja, Gideon Tivah, said uncertainty pervaded the air, add- ing that: “People don’t even know what to expect. You say government workers from Level 14 should go to work, what of others like those in the private sector where they don’t use grade levels?
“There is so much confusion. Everything is in God’s hands. Nobody is doing anything other than to announce figures of confirmed cases everyday. As far as I am concerned, they have added to the confusion on ground by this so-called relaxation.”
Chairman, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Abuja, Comrade Adogah Abdullahi, described today’s resumption as akin to being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
He said: “Today, without being pessimistic, the risk of contracting the deadly disease will be higher, notwithstanding the measures put in place.
“Secondly, the economy is suffering and with the rate of poverty in our society, the average citizens cannot afford the pain so far.”
Another resident, Mr Shola Idris, advised residents who could sustain themselves without going to work to continue staying at home.
He said: “It is a dicey one for the country, for individuals and families, we are all at risk. I do understand that the government had no choice but to ease the lockdown, especially as the palliatives they were providing were not going- ing round. I will advise those people that can still sustain themselves to stay at home because this is actually a serious pandemic.”
Mr Kelvin Ogar said: “There is no need to go out if there is no serious need. Moreover, the Federal Government is saying that it has to be a certain level of officials that can resume work so that the offices will not be congested. If it is not really very important, I think we just have to stay back at home.”
Also, Glory Monday expressed fear over the continued spread of the virus, stressing that it would be counterproductive for the government to ease the lockdown.
Another resident, Mrs Hannah Taiwo, insisted on staying at home, saying that: “I will not go out because ordinarily they ought to extend it. See the number of recorded cases. It is scary.”
‘Buhari right to ease lockdown, we are ready to resume’
A worker with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Oluyinka Afolabi, said she was not panicky and was ready to resume work.
Managing Director, Sonnekraft Technology Limited, Mr Johnson Olatunji, said he believed Nigerians would see the easing of the lockdown as a relief.
Also speaking, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), DONTINO BIZWORLD
Limited, Valentine Eyo, said as a businessman, the decision would help in no small measure to cushion the effect of the disease.
Some motorists promised to abide by the rules and regulations of both the Federal Government and Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), while some residents asked the government to distribute face masks free.
FCT minister warns Nigerians MINISTER of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, on Sun- day, warned Nigerians, especially from states near Abuja, not to flout the directive on the relaxed lockdown, adding that security agencies had reviewed their strategies to enforce the ban on interstate travel.
He said anyone who flouts the orders would be made to bear the full weight of the law.
A statement from the office of his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Anthony Ogunleye, after the end of security meeting with paramilitary agencies and made available to journalists in Abuja, reiterated the commitment of the FCT administration to beef up enforcement of the guidelines regulating the easing of the lockdown in the FCT starting from today.
NAMA workers tasked on safety
Personnel of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) have been tasked to ensure full compliance with the directives and safety guidelines by the Federal Government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on COVID-19 prevention.
Managing Director of NAMA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, in a message to staff of the agency, noted that “while the health and well-being of workers is of utmost importance to management, a lot needs to be done by the workers themselves to ensure they remain safe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic which is still very much in our midst.”
Govt stylishly telling Nigerians to fend for themselves – Lawyers
Lawyers, while adding their voices, said the Federal Government’s decision, though a response to agitation, was not in the best interest of the people.
They said the relaxation of the lockdown order was a way of not only giving in to the yearnings of the people but also stylishly telling Nigerians to take their fate in their hands.
Lagos-based human rights activist and lawyer, Ebun- Olu Adegboruwa, said the message he got from government easing the lockdown was simply that it had no money to continue to provide palliative items for the people.
He said: “The message is: ‘To your tents, O Nigerians.’ But this should not be so. Though the government may seem overwhelmed with the problems associated with COVID-19, the constitution has imposed a sacred duty that should not be jettisoned. “Section 14(2)(b) of the 1990 Constitution provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. The government cannot abandon the people at this critical time of our national life; indeed, we are all in it together.”
In a Facebook post, a senior legal practitioner, Jiti Ogunye, cautioned Nigerians to keep safe, adding that: “As ‘lockfree’ Mon- day nears, let all remember that like heaven which helps those who help themselves, COVID-19 may only spare those who spare themselves. Maintain social distancing and observe personal hygiene while you engage in economic activities and business pursuits. Be safe. Be sane. Be brave.” Abuja-based lawyer and politician, Kayode Ajulo, said though there was no gainsaying the fact that the Federal Government might have been pressured to relax the lockdown in order to save the economy, coming out of lockdown too soon could be catastrophic and lead to an explosion of new coronavirus cases.
He said: “while relaxing the lockdown for people to resume business as usual is not without a grimace of relief, yet if people who do not know they are infected return to work, they risk infecting countless others and wiping out all the progress that has been made.
“There is the need to speed up Coronavirus testing and the government should provide personal protective equipment before people can safely go back to work.”
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