Activities pick up in Osun after relaxation of lockdown for two days

Commercial activities resumed in Osogbo, the Osun capital, on Wednesday after the state government relaxed the lockdown in the state by two days.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun announced on Tuesday that the 14 days lockdown ordered in the state (which ended by Midnight of Tuesday) would be relaxed for two days to enable residents to restock and that it would continue for another two weeks as from Friday.

NAN, however, observed long queue of customers at the entrance of most commercial banks in Osogbo, waiting endlessly to go into the banking hall for transactions.

A customer, who spoke with NAN on condition of anonymity, said she had been at the bank entrance before 8 a.m and that customers were not allowed into the bank premises.

She said officials of the bank informed them that they were observing physical distancing rule and customers were only allowed into the banking premises/hall in batches of two and three.

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NAN also observed that markets in the state capital and the famous Osogbo Shopping Mall were also reopened with commercial transporters and motorcyclists plying the roads, which had been deserted many days due to the lockdown.

Mr Ariyo Mustapha, a commercial motorcyclist, while speaking on the extension of the lockdown, said he hopes the Coronavirus pandemic problem would be resolved soonest so that life can go back to normal.

Mustapha said he fell into the category of people who feeds on what they earn daily and that the first two weeks of lockdown in the state was hell for him.

According to him, he is still thinking of how to survive the new two weeks extension.

“If I don’t go out to work, I don’t make money and I can’t feed my family.

“The last two weeks of lockdown was hard for me and other people like me, with this lockdown extension now, only God will not let us die of hunger,” he said.

Also, a commercial bus driver, Fatai Gbadebo, observed that it would be difficult for people to fully comply with the new lockdown extension as most people doesn’t even have money to restock.

“Now we (commercial drivers) are all out working to make money to prepare ourselves for the stay-at-home extension, but how much money can we make in two days that we will spend for another 14 days?

“The government promise to offer food to the people during the last stay-at-home but the rice shared didn’t even go round and the quality was even bad.

“If commercial drivers that can still make little money can be complaining, imagine what bricklayers, vulcanizers, plumbers and other artisans would be going through,” he said.

(NAN)

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE