Ovie Omo-Agege,
deputy senate president, says some people are mounting pressure on President
Muhammadu Buhari to reopen the economy without considering the implications.
Omo-Agege, while
contributing to a debate on a motion on the floor of the senate on Tuesday,
said he is worried over the “raging agitation” for Buhari to reopen the economy
in the face of COVID-19.
The motion entitled
“COVID-19 Pandemic: Reviewing the national response to the challenges and the
way forward” was sponsored by Abdullahi Yahaya, the majority leader.
The COVID-19
pandemic has slowed down the country’s economy and affected global trade.
The president said
the restrictions on movement would be eased from Monday next week but the
deputy senate president said those who are agitating for the reopening of the
economy are not mindful of the fact that only those who are living could
benefit from an economy.
“What concerns me
most is the raging agitation to rush Mr President to reopen the country. Mr
President I’m worried and very concerned,” he said.
“I am still
bewildered why the decision of lockdown was still limited to these three
states. What concerns me the most is the urging agitation to reopen the
economy. I am worried and concerned. The argument is being made that the cure
should not be worse than the problem. People are worried about the effect of
the pandemic.
“It is my belief
that you have to be alive first before you can seek the benefit of an economy.
It does not appear that those who are clamouring for the reopening of this
economy are mindful of that. For a historian, we know what occurred in 1918,
following the Spanish flu, we remember how people were agitating and as soon as
that was done, there was a spike off the spread of the disease. That was in
1918 and 1919. I am worried that the president is now being pressured. In the
first 14 days of the lockdown, we didn’t prepare enough by way of palliatives.
There is this misconception that the federal government has the responsibility
to provide the palliatives. That should not be the situation.”
Nigeria has so far
recorded 1,337 cases of the dreaded disease.
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