The Interview Editors
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday warned state governors not to take the COVID-19 pandemic as a joke.
He told them to step up enlightenment of their people on the seriousness of the infection by ensuring that they stayed safe.
The president also called on the governors to work closely with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 so they could streamline the measures targeted at containing the spread.
According to Femi Adesina, the president special adviser on media and publicity, Buhari spoke during a virtual meeting he held with the governors.
The President stated that after he received a briefing from the PTF’s Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, he had directed that both sides worked closely.
“I have directed that they work very closely with the governors”, he said, adding, “We have to be very careful. We need to continue to educate and persuade the people to accept the reality of the situation, and do all that is necessary to stay safe.”
Buhari told the governors that the pandemic was “beyond technology, power, and resources.”
The President noted that big countries with huge resources were overwhelmed by the pandemic, an indication that small countries like Nigeria must take precautionary measures more seriously.
Adesina added, “The meeting also discussed economic and security issues, among others, with the governors commending the President on the ‘leadership and direction’ he has given the country in combating COVID-19.”
