COVID-19:Kogi shuts educational institutions indefinitely

Lokoja

Nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Kogi state ( both private and public) remained close on Monday, indefinitely in total compliance to government directive to check the spread of pandemic Coronavirus.
A correspondent of Duaglobalnews who went round some educational institutions in lokoja and it’s environs reports that the schools were devoid of the usual beehive of academic activities.
At the Federal University, Lokoja, academic activities came to a standstill while some students were seen moving out of the university to various destinations.

The sumilar atmosphere prevailed in other educational institutions the online medium representative visited, such as Limi nursery and primary school, at Gadumo, in AJaokuta Local Government Area of the state.

A check at Baptist High School, Bishop Deslise, Growther Memorial College, among other schools in Lokoja Local Government Area of the state also showed same picture.

Fillers from all the 21 local government in the state shows substantial compliance to the order for the closure of all levels of educational institutions.

The state government had earlier ordered the management of all educational institutions to close as from Monday to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

The virus,which has been declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as pandemic, has reached over 150 countries, registered 30 cases in Nigeria,about 200,000 cases globally, killed about 10,000 people since it was discovered in Wuhan, China at the tail of 2019.

A visit to motor parks along NATACO junction and international market in Lokoja showed influx of students seeking to board vehicles to various destinations with corresponding increase in transport fares.

Muhammed Ali, Miss Janet Oloruntoba, Ahmed Mohamed, told the online medium that they were forced to N3,000 instead of N2,500 as transport fare to get to Minna in Niger state.
“These commercial drivers don’t pity us, especially we the students as they have added money to the transportation fares.

“This is not fare, especially as the Federal government has reduced the fuel price from N145 per to N125 per litre,”Oloruntoba lamented.

There has not been any reported case of coronary in the state,as at the time of this report.
However, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Kingsley Fanwo said the state government was not resting on its oars as it had put in place all necessary measures to check the spread of the pandemic.

The professors of Ogori extraction, the headquarters of Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the state, have formed a task team to check the spread of the disease.

The Chairman,League of Ogori Professor, Emeritus Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, disclosed this in a statement, adding the programme would be launched on March 28.

He said the team would be responsible for informing and educating people about developments concerning the disease and what to do that in order not to be affected by the pandemic among other terms of reference.