In a bid to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, a disease the World Health Organization has declared to be a pandemic, the Federal Government has ordered the closure of the Country’spremier University, University of Ibadan, FG owned tertiary institutions and Unity Schools across the country.
While announcing the decision of the Government, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education,Architect Sonny Echono said the closure is necessary to protect and safeguard the lives of students and pupils from the deadly scourge that has already claimed the lives of over six thousandpeople globally.
In his words,”We have directed all higher institutions to close this weekend. Unity Schools that have completed their exams are to close immediately. Others are to hurry and close the latest on 26th March.”
The Permanent Secretary added that the Government is monitoring the situation as a total closure might be ordered at any moment.
The rise in proactive actions and measures to prevent the spread of the virus that originated in the city of Wuhan, China in 2019,became necessary following the increase in the number of confirmed cases in the Country from three to twelve cases in less than 48 hours.
So far, about three hundred cases are found in African countries, many of which are either returnees from Countries with significant number of confirmed cases, or primary contact with returnees into the Continent.
