“Continue To Stay At Home, Lockdown Will Last As Long As Medical Advisers Say” – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has encouraged Nigerians to abide by the stay-at-home order, adding that restriction of movement in some states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will remain as long as experts find it necessary.

It would be recalled that the President had on March 29 ordered a lockdown of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

In a statement signed by Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, President Buhari said;

The freedom we ask you to willingly forsake today will only last as long as our scientific advisers declare they are necessary. But the freedom is essential to halt and defeat the spread of this virus.

He added that;

No elected government could ask more of the citizens of the country that elected them than today we ask of you. But we must ask you – once more – to observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers: stay home, wash your hands, save lives.

Buhari entreated Nigerians not to waiver in complying with the lockdown order which aims at allowing citizens to observe social distancing to flatten the curve of transmitting the Novel Coronavirus.

He reiterated that;

To observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers.

We ask you to listen and follow public announcements via the mass media for instructions as to how to receive this government support – and learn of more public assistance in the coming days.

In his statement, the President also stressed that;

All that the government is asking you to endure is because there is no known way of defeating this pandemic (yet). There is no vaccine. And that means there are choices to be made…We cannot expect others to come to our assistance.

No one is coming to defeat this virus for us…We cannot wait for others. We can only depend on ourselves. And so we must — and we will — end this outbreak ourselves as Nigerians, together.