Don’t Open Schools Yet –NMA Tells FG

Posted by African Examiner African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Wednesday, December 30th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Ujah, has enjoined the federal government should not open schools yet due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ujah disclosed this at a webinar organised by the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, on Wednesday, saying that the country is not ready yet for the reopening of schools.

He said: “When the government wanted to reopen the schools, I cautioned them and said if the schools must be reopen, there must be necessary preparation to prevent the children from contracting the virus. One parent wrote the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 that I don’t want people to go to school and that I was being wicked.

“Now, we all know better; a lot of children who sat for the last WASSCE were infected. Today, some corps members have also been infected. These are some of the things that could have been prevented if sufficient precautions were taken before reopening the schools.”

He also frowned at the total disregard for social distancing by Nigerians, saying this had also increased the rising COVID-19 cases.

“Social distancing in my opinion has failed. Recall that during the campaign for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States, everyone was falling over each other.

“If you go to the marketplaces, social distancing protocol is not being observed. In that case, are we prepared? I think we need to do a lot of sensitisation,” Ujah added.