Nigerian opposition parties under the umbrella of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Tuesday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering the total lockdown of Kano State over the ravaging deadly coronavirus pandemic in the state as earlier demanded by the coalition.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by its spokesman Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the coalition also hailed the President for the extension of the lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States earlier ordered last month to prevent the further spread of the deadly pandemic in the country.
It, however, urged Nigerians to exhibit high level of discipline and totally comply with health regulations to avoid coronavirus infections.
It said the coalition, “having monitored the third nationwide address of President Muhammadu Buhari and following independent assessment of the situation in Nigeria hails the President for heeding to the advice of the opposition coalition, eminent Nigerian citizens and medical experts to impose a total immediate lockdown of Kano State.
“We also commend the extension of the lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun State but receive the gradual easing of the lockdown with reservation and caution. We believe that the Presidency has buckled under the failure of enforcement of the earlier imposed lockdowns due to failure to put in place a workable economic palliative to ease the sufferings Nigerian people are undergoing coupled with inability by security agencies to enforce the lockdown which has seen the number of cases rise with about three hundred as of the date of the last address to over a thousand two hundred cases.”
It, however, expressed reservation on the silence of the president on the plans of the Federal Government to deploy massive education and sensitisation in Kano State as its findings had revealed that a very large population state still believe that COVID-19 is a hoax.
The coalition pointed out that declaring a lockdown without other complimentary actions would not achieve much. It advised that the President must ensure aggressive testing, isolation, contact tracing and treatment of patients in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
The coalition urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of a COVID-19 Bill which must come into effect on or before May 4, 2020, when the lockdown begins to ease, to the effect of making the use of face masks in public places mandatory, and failure to use such masks would attract a punitive fine, prison term and community service upon conviction.
It also urged the Presidency to monitor closely Borno, Katsina, Gombe, FCT and Lagos and take proactive action any time there is a need for action, while the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 should be immediately work out a transparent mode of distribution of palliative to the people of Kano to ensure an effective lockdown
The coalition, in addition, urged the Federal Government to give more financial support to state governments to help stabilise state economies and give them the capacity to procure all needed health equipment to fight this deadly virus.
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