APC chief alerts to coronavirus surge, seeks closure of schools, NYSC

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Director of Planning during the 2015 presidential campaign, Dr. Theodore Ekechi, has alerted that a surge in the cases of coronavirus is imminent in the country.

He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to urgently shut down all schools from primary to tertiary levels and orientation programme of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for at least 40 days so as to avert an impending national catastrophe occasioned by coronavirus outbreak.

He stressed that a surge of coronavirus was imminent in Nigeria and if it did, its impact would be devastating considering that the country has neither the capacity nor the skilled medical personnel to tackle the challenge, adding that the situation would be more challenging due to adequate infrastructure and standard hospitals.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Ekechi observed that with deficiencies in the health sector, coupled with insurgency, banditry and other socio-political and economic drawbacks including the global oil crash, Nigeria may wake up one day to see a disappearing population and advised state governments to follow suit.

He further called on the government to ban all Public Gatherings of 50 people and above, including Church and Mosque worship places, crusades, rallies of all kinds, birthday parties, burials, and ban all non-essential government-sponsored activities like seminars, workshops and external trips, among others.

Ekechi argued that the global threat now posed by coronavirus was no longer an monir issue, adding that the discourse on this earthshaking disease was in multiple times more than the weather in Europe, dissected in dozens more than terrorism in America and more than corruption and poverty in Asia and Africa.

“In all the countries and continents, practical, effective and well-coordinated measures have been put in place to provide thorough counterpoise in the fight against coronavirus.

“China, with its commendable heights, advancement in science and technology, as well as it heroics in medicine, has been struggling to curb COROVID-19 challenge.  America is almost in a state of unprecedented panic and Italy is locked down!

“If coronavirus can poke China in the face, rattle America, dislocate Iran, forces Italy to a humiliating and gruesome lockdown, in spite of their great feats in modernity, which includes well-organised urbanisation, highly structured dwelling places, infrastructure assets and responsive public service culture, you can imagine the huge devastation coronavirus will cause, if it is allowed to thrust its notorious tentacles in Nigeria,” he stated.