COVID-19 Lockdown: Provide essential needs for citizens, ASUU tells FG

    

The President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi has advised Federal and State governments to support their stay home order with the provision of existential needs for residents.

ASUU warned that unless everyday needs of the people are made available, current lockdown of the country may not achieve its desired result of social distancing.

Ogunyemi in a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said there must be reasonable supply of electricity, water and food.

He warned that until the needs of people are made available, the federal and state government may face rebellion from people which will be against its desire of combating the virus.

"Access to electricity, running water, an unbroken chain of food supply and availability of other essential items should be key components of the policy called 'lockdown'." He added

“Unless the people's survival needs are factored into the equation, governments at the national and sub-national levels may be courting an uncontrollable regime of rebellion which may be counterproductive to the cause of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria,” he said.

The ASUU President said the lesson to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic is that issues of health and safety know no territorial boundaries and political leaders everywhere had better worked with everyone to make the world safe for all.

“ASUU subscribes to this winning formula and path to collective health. In this our shared globe, no one is safe epidemiologically, socially or physically until everyone is safe.

“We can conquer the fear emerging from the manifestation of this global pandemic in our little corners. We can contribute to the global movement for prevention and control of its spread by applying the health guides and information from the World Health Organisation and other professional institutions and agencies,” Ogunyemi added.

He also revealed that ASUU is contributing on their part by distributing sanitisers, and other sensitisation material to check the spread of COVID-19 at various locations including the University of Ibadan and University of Jos and according to him, other chapters of the institution body will also join in the sensitisation.

Ex-Mr. University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM), Thomas Meshach Odu also expressed dissatisfaction in the president's lockdown command.

In his post on his Facebook account, "It is tyrant for an incumbent to declare lockdown in such situation without adequate preparation to meet the residence need."

"it is like from fry-pan to fire. Hunger is is more disastrous than Coronavirus."

"What The Federal government are questing for is to raise rebbelious troops that will distort their motion for the COVID-19 eradication.

"I am saying all this because I beleive everyone is calm having that the lockdown is still fresh. By the time hunger and the masses' needs elapse its elastic limit, REBELLION will be the result," he added.