Against the backdrop of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday shut down all social and cultural activities in his palace.
He also placed an embargo on the receiving of any visitor in his palace as parts of the precautionary measures to guard against the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement signed by his director of media and public affairs, Comrade Moses Olafare, Oba Ogunwusi urged Nigerians to stay at home in compliance with all principles laid down by federal and state governments in a bid to curb the spread of the global coronavirus pandemic.
He stated, “the only easiest solution to it is for everyone to stay at home, coronavirus is not a respecter of anybody and it does not honour anybody. This is the first time in a very long while that the whole world is having a common problem, we must tackle it together.
“We must look beyond the current negativities attached and look at the lessons embedded in this challenging period of our lives. Coronavirus teaches high personal hygiene, let us be clean and embrace regular handwashing with clean water and soap.
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“It also teaches that Nigeria as a member of the global community should invest in something bigger and also respect nature because we need it to survive, nature does not need us.
“While staying at home, let us maintain a high level of decency and avoid rumour peddling because panic kills faster than the virus itself. We now have several fake news flying across, let us act responsibly by not instilling fear in one another and it shall be well with us.”
The statement reads, “Ooni has shutdown social and cultural activities at the palace with strict restrictions of movement in and out of the palace, saying only visitors with an essential mission will be allowed.”
“Like we’ve been implored to restrict our movements only to core places in order to prevent the spread of this deadly virus, let us abide by these simple rules and principles for our own good, the government and its officials are not trying to usurp our freedom to move around as enshrined in the constitution but only working so hard to protect us.”
“It is on this note and in the interest of all that His Majesty, the Ooni has directed all daily cultural and social activities at the palace be indefinitely shut down. Only those with essential services will be allowed into the Ooni’s palace they must observe the necessary precaution measures already provided at the entrance gate and within.”
“It is equally important to call on our people who have just returned from any of the coronavirus infected countries to observe the self-isolation as recommended by experts and also visit the nearest accredited health facilities nationwide for prompt medical assistance in case of any suspicion or challenges.
“As it stands, coronavirus has no publicly announced cure worldwide but we can help ourselves and others to prevent it by observing the measures mentioned above. By the grace of the Almighty Olodumare, it is well with Nigeria, it is well with the whole world”, the statement concluded.
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