Kwara State Government on Monday, 13 April, 2020 said it has uncovered plots by some prominent opposition figures to incite the public to protest against the lockdown order in the state.
“We have an intelligence report that some prominent members of the opposition have perfected a plan to incite the public against the government. The plot is to incite the people to disregard the directive of the government to stay at home and stay safe at this time of global pandemic,” Commissioner for Communication Murtala Olanrewaju said in a statement.
“Whatever the intent of these people, we warn them to desist forthwith as the government will take every measure to ensure that nobody goes against the directive to protect the people from the rampaging virus. Such plot shows that the people behind it cannot distinguish between politics and public safety.”
Olanrewaju urged the people to continue to respect the lockdown directive as failure to do so could prove fatal to the entire population.
“We must avoid anything that may expose all of us to the virus and attendant calamity. We do not want to bury any of our people on account of this pandemic. Anyone who has followed the trend in Europe and the US will understand that this is no time for the kind of politics these people are playing. We urge those behind this dangerous plot to drop it immediately.”
Quoting the NCDC, the statement said the virus spreads easily from person to person when people gather together, and called for increased adherence to social distancing and other safety measures.
Olanrewaju said the government’s decision to allow people to go out on designated days and time was to allow for restocking of foodstuffs and other essentials since “we cannot afford to feed everybody.”
“Even so, the government is reviewing the decision to see how we can balance the need to flatten the curve of transmission, which was the reason behind the lockdown, and the need to not let our people go hungry or totally cripple the economy,” he added.
