Teachers, Kano residents react
Reacting to the closure of schools until further evaluation as announced by the task force, the President of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Chief Yomi Otubela, expressed disappointment. He said the federal government should have at least come up with recommended safety measures for schools so that proprietors and teachers would begin work on the measures ahead of recalling students and pupils who have been at home for long.
According to him, the recommended safety measures will help schools begin to prepare ahead of the inspection exercise by relevant agencies to monitor level of preparedness before proper re-opening.
A parent, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi commended the action of government, saying it was good that government was thinking of putting on ground precautionary measures.
“It is a welcome development as life gradually returns to normal. In my opinion based on global trends, coronavirus might become another general disease like malaria, HIV and others that the world is learning to live with even with their medications and vaccines around. So, the onus is on Nigerians and indeed global citizens to take responsibility and act appropriately to curtail the spread of the virus,” he said.
Professor Sebastian Uremadu of the Department of Banking and Finance, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, said the decision of the presidential tasks force on schools resumption, including universities, in his own opinion, was taken in good faith because those involved are children.
“If we allow the universities to reopen in a confused manner without these guidelines put in place, the situation will not be good. The federal government should study other countries,” he said. Also, some residents of Kano have expressed their happiness over the ease of the lockdown, which they said had caused untold hardship to the common man in the state.
Musa Tukur Usman said, “The government could not help us during the lockdown and therefore, the ideal thing is to set us free so that we can fend for ourselves. The palliatives they brought did not go round.
He called on governments at all levels to provide face masks and hand sanitisers especially at places of worship.
Hassan Aliyu Abubakar said, “It was circumstances that warranted the imposition of the lockdown and we have been praying to Almighty Allah to come to our aid. We are grateful to the president for considering peoples’ plight and ordered for the ease of the lockdown.”