With effect from 11.00 p.m. today, Lagos State, the epicentre of COVID-19 in Nigeria; the neighbouring Ogun State, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), would be locked down, President Muhammadu Buhari directed yesterday.

The president, in a nationwide broadcast in which he outlined efforts by his administration to contain the virus, which as at yesterday had infected 111 people, with one death, directed the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure full restriction of movements within the three areas for 14 days.

Fourteen fresh cases were recorded yesterday to bring the tally to 111 with nine new infections recorded in Lagos and five in FCT, according to data from NCDC Twitter account.

The presidential broadcast came on the same day Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, in a statement signed by him and posted on the official twitter handle of the presidency, @NGRPresident, broke his silence on his COVID-19 status, saying on medical advice, he would transfer to Lagos for additional tests and observation.
To curb the spread of the virus to their states, Ekiti, Benue, Ogun, Yobe, Anambra and Abia also joined others to shut their borders.

Niger State Governor, Alhaji Sani Bello; President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; and the former Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, have also tested negative for COVID-19.

The president in the national broadcast, in which he outlined other measures to cushion the effects of the virus on the people, said following the directive, all residents of the two states and FCT must stay at home while movements to and from the areas are disallowed.

During the 14-day curfew, businesses would be shut, including private and commercial flight operations.

The president said authorities of the affected areas and security agencies had been put on alert to ensure compliance.

According to him, the essence of the lockdown is to trace and isolate all contacts with those who had tested positive for the virus.

He explained that the treatment of all confirmed cases would be done while deliberate efforts would be made to contain the continuous spread of the virus.
However, Buhari granted exemptions to personnel working in hospitals and all related healthcare organisations, Lagos seaports, food processing, distribution and retail companies from the restrictions.

Also exempted, are petroleum distribution and retail outlets, power generation, transmission and distribution companies as well as private security organisations.

Others sectors and items exempted from the order as listed by the president are the media, telecommunications companies and vehicles conveying food and essential humanitarian items to the three areas from other parts of the country.
However, he said such vehicles would be subjected to thorough screening before they can gain entry.

He added that the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, had been directed to redeploy all port health authority workers who have been in Lagos and Abuja airports to major entry and exit points to the restricted areas.

Buhari said: “Based on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, I am directing the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11.00 p.m. on Monday, 30th March 2020. This restriction will also apply to Ogun State due to its close proximity to Lagos and the high traffic between the two states.

“All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes. Travel to or from other states should be postponed. All businesses and offices within these locations should be fully closed during this period.

“The governors of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Minister of the FCT have been notified. Furthermore, heads of security and intelligence agencies have also been briefed.

“We will use this containment period to identify, trace and isolate all individuals that have come into contact with confirmed cases. We will ensure the treatment of confirmed cases while restricting further spread to other states.

“This order does not apply to hospitals and all related medical establishments as well as organisations in healthcare-related manufacturing and distribution.

“Furthermore, commercial establishments such as food processing, distribution and retail companies, petroleum distribution and retail entities, power generation, transmission and distribution companies; and private security companies are also exempted.

“Although these establishments are exempted, access will be restricted and monitored. Workers in telecommunication companies, broadcasters, print and electronic media staff who can prove they are unable to work from home are also exempted.

“All seaports in Lagos shall remain operational in accordance with the guidelines I issued earlier. Vehicles and drivers conveying essential cargoes from these ports to other parts of the country will be screened thoroughly before departure by the Ports Health Authority.

“Furthermore, all vehicles conveying food and other essential humanitarian items into these locations from other parts of the country will also be screened thoroughly before they are allowed to enter these restricted areas.

“Accordingly, the Hon. Minister of Health is hereby directed to redeploy all Port Health Authority employees previously stationed in the Lagos and Abuja airports to key roads that serve as entry and exit points to these restricted zones. Movements of all passenger aircraft, both commercial and private jets, are hereby suspended. Special permits will be issued on a needs basis.”

Buhari acknowledged the level of hardship that the decisions would cause citizens, but described the situation as a matter of life and death.

Citing the huge tragedies that accompanied the outbreak of the disease in Italy, France and Spain, the president appealed to citizens to embrace the restriction with a sense of patriotism and endure attendant inconveniences in government’s decisive bid to fight what he described as “our common enemy.”

Recalling that some other countries had taken far more painful decisions, the president who implored citizens to see the attendant hardship as their contributions to the fight against COVID-19 pledged the government’s preparedness to send relief package to some communities in Lagos and Abuja to cushion the effects of the decisions on residents.

He also said even though schools would remain closed during the period, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development had been directed to work with governments of the affected states on how to develop a strategy for the sustenance of the school feeding programme.

The president directed the immediate implementation of a three-month repayment moratorium for all TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni loans.
He also extended the moratorium to all federal government-funded loans issued by development banks.

“We are fully aware that such measures will cause much hardship and inconvenience to many citizens. But this is a matter of life and death if we look at the dreadful daily toll of deaths in Italy, France and Spain.

“However, we must all see this as our national and patriotic duty to control and contain the spread of this virus. I will, therefore, ask all of us affected by this order to put aside our personal comfort to safeguard ourselves and fellow human beings. This common enemy can only be controlled if we all come together and obey scientific and medical advice,” he said.

The president explained that he had given a directive to development financial institutions for what he described as on-lending facilities through the use of capital from international and multilateral development partners to engage the development partners and negotiate concessions to ease the pains of borrowers.

He also directed the immediate payment of the conditional cash transfers to the vulnerable in the society for the next two months, imploring Nigerians to support the weak and the vulnerable around them.

Buhari also pledged to guarantee provisions of food items to internally displaced persons for two months, adding that further decisions would be taken depending on unfolding events.

The president said he had directed the conversion of some public institutions as isolated centres, restating that all necessary resources would be deployed to combat the scourge of COVID-19.

“My fellow Nigerians, as a government, we will avail all necessary resources to support the response and recovery. We remain committed to doing whatever it takes to confront COVID-19 in our country,” he said.

Buhari thanked members of the private sector, individuals and development partners who donated to the fight against the scourge, saying he had also assigned the Presidential Task Force to coordinate such donations.

He promised the effective role of government agencies in the efforts to contain the scourge, reiterating the necessity for every citizen to support both the government and the most vulnerable in the society.

Earlier, Buhari had chronicled how the federal government began to fight the virus since the inception of its outbreak in China late last year.

He said since the index case was recorded on February 27, the country had been under-studying other nations that had been fighting the virus earlier than Nigeria.

As part of efforts to curb the virus, he said the NCDC Director-General, Dr. Kema Ihekweazu, was one of the 10 disease managers invited to China to understudy the control of the disease.

He praised the NCDC Director-General for his commitment to the battle against COVID-19, noting that he has been deploying the experience he gained in China to fight the disease.

“Since his return, the NCDC has been implementing numerous strategies and programmes in Nigeria to ensure that the adverse impact of this virus on our country is minimised. We ask all Nigerians to support the work the Federal Ministry of Health and NCDC are doing, led by the Presidential Task Force,” he said.
Buhari added that the federal government was deploying all power and resources within its reach to protect citizens and win the battle against the scourge, noting that till date, the disease has no cure.