Pressing homes his believe and conviction that COVID-19 in Nigeria is political, full of lies and fraud , Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that the reported spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria is political, full of lies and an avenue for political office holders and corrupt officials to embezzle and steal the nation’s resources, the Nation Paper Report on Sunday that
Most churches in Kogi state were full for Easter celebration following relaxation of the lockdown order on Sunday.
Governor Yahaya Bello on Thursday lifted the ban on religious congregations in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic.
At the Winners Chapel, Phase 1, it was a full house as worshippers thronged the Lokoja church headquarters like before the COVID-19 era.
At the Catholic Cathedral Lokoja, attendance at the Easter Sunday mass was more controlled with the entrances along the Hassan Katsina road under strict control.
At the Evangelical Church, also in the Phase 1area, long rows of vehicles on both sides of the road in front of the church premises; attest to the volume of worshippers that braved the Covid-19 lockdown for the Easter Sunday service.
The Kogi State government had in its statement, enjoined religious adherents to do so responsibly as they continue to observe social distancing and other hygienic practices.
The directive by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, said it was to allow religious bodies have their normal worship and services.
The Governor urged all religious leaders to put in place preventive and precautionary measures in their various worship centres in order to contain the outbreak and spread of coronavirus in the state.
Meanwhile Nigerian Medical Association In a statement jointly signed by its President, Francis Faduyile, and Secretary, Olumuyiwa Odusote, the NMA warned against early relaxation of such directives.
OBSERVERS TIMES earlier reported how the federal government imposed a lockdown on Lagos, Abuja and Ogun, while many state governments did something similar in their states.
However, some of the state government’s have been relaxing the order, some because of this weekend’s Easter celebration.
“While appreciating the prime place of religion in our national lives and especially the value Christians place on Easter, we place on record that there is now the evidence of community transmission of COVID-19. As such, relaxing any guidelines that promotes mass gatherings in any part of our nation Now can only heighten and not flatten the curve of transmission dynamics,” the doctors’ association said.
The association called on law enforcement agencies to help prevent any mass gatherings that will take place in the period of the lock down.
The decision by some state governments to relax the lockdown in their states coincides with a reported plan by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to advise President Muhammed Buhari on the possibility of having a nationwide lockdown.
The president on Saturday urged Nigerians to continue to abide by the restriction orders in their states. He is also expected to announce an extension of the restrictions in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.
Ondo, Niger, Rivers, Kastina and other states where among the state that initially relaxes restrictions order for the purpose of Easter festivity’s but revert to status quo after several Organisation and ministry of health spelt out the implication,except Kogi state.