‘Buhari’s directive on lockdown understandable but risky’

By Robert Egbe

The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum on Wednesday described President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to ease the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja as “understandable, but risky”.

It said epidemiologists and communication strategists it consulted believed certain measures must be quickly implemented to make the government’s “sudden exit plan” successful.

On Monday, President Buhari announced partial lifting of the lockdown in the three states from May 4, as well as a total and immediate lockdown in Kano State.

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Yoruba Ronu, in a statement by its President, Akin Malaolu, said the President’s directive could fail without adequate and effective nationwide sensitisation.

According to it, the influence of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) which, in collaboration with states and local governments, would have been best suited for this task, is yet to be felt.

The forum said: “Going forward, the enlightenment strategy must include physical appearances in communities in deference to our communal way of life. This should be for the next 12 months in the first instance and starting immediately. It must also utilise relevant media of communication, not the least radio, which remains potent in reaching a largely oral society.

“The sensitisation, if properly carried out, will help the nation to avoid returning to sudden lockdown again, which, this time may be difficult to exit from.”