By Esenvosa Izah
Lagos – The Lagos State Council of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has declared its support for any complete lockdown declaration that would contain further spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Its Chairman, Mr Gbenga Ekundayo, and Secretary, Mr Abiodun Aladetan, made the pledge in a joint statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to them, we believe a complete lockdown declaration is needed at this time.
“This is because, if we allow this pandemic to get out of hands, it will overwhelm our health facilities and the whole country.
“This pandemic is real and critical; we can see the devastating impact in Italy and presently in the U.S.
“As at March 23, 2020, the U.S has 34,407 cases at about 4:35p.m Nigerian time, according to CNN, a media organisation.
“This figure almost doubled in the space of 24 hours; the only way to break the circle of spread is total lockdown, which is what the government is gradually progressing toward,” Ekundayo said.
The union leaders urged Lagosians and Nigerians at large to adhere to the directives of the government on how to stay safe at this critical time.
They also called on wellmeaning Nigerians to show patroitism by coming together to support all efforts of the government.
“We all have a role to play to stay safe, must follow all directives and maintain personal hygiene, social distancing and stay at home; though, this will not be easy, but it is necessary.
“We call on corporate bodies, individuals, religious bodies, among others, to assist the government in whatever way they can by providing resources, sanitisers, face mask through relevant agencies.
“We all must come together to fight this battle; government will provide leadership, but the citizens must show understanding and cooperation so that all efforts of the government can yield positive results” TUC leader said.
They also commended the Lagos State Government for its policy measures introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The duo described the action of the government as a step in the right direction, saying, “desperate times requires desperate measures”.
When contacted, the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mrs Agnes Sessi, urged the state government to take stringent measures to ensure that people comply with its stay-at-home order.
Sessi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), also called on the government to punish anyone who flouted the order.
“People will not comply if strict measures are not put in place, because many Nigerians still believe Coronavirus is not for the country.
“This kind of attitude can only make matters worse and increase the number of infected persons.
“The country does not have the capacity to address a pandemic; so, we should use preventive measures, because we do not have the capacity for curative measures,’’ Sessi said.
(NAN)
