Ajulo urges alternative measure to lockdown

Dr Kayode Ajulo, a legal practitioner and human rights lawyer, has called for an alternative measure to the lockdown occasioned by Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Ajulo made the appeal in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

The statement is coming against the backdrop of the expiration of additional two weeks of lockdown as announced by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 11.

He stated that while the lockdown measure had significantly reduced the spread of the virus, the difficulties had brought to fore, the urgent need for more equitable measures in curbing and curtailing the spread of COVID-19.

According to him, government must focus on efficient testing, training and building capacity across board, while creating reliable infrastructure and employing principles of transparency.

Noting that the lockdown measure and some other similar measures such as curfew enforced on some states had recorded significant benefits, he said that the measures had halted economic activity across the country.

He opined that Nigeria could not impose a lockdown like more developed nations as there were many citizens who did not have homes.

He also said that Nigeria had limited resources to replace the incomes of citizens coupled with the fall in the oil price from which Nigeria derives 95 per cent of its revenue.