COVID-19: I warned Nigerian govt against reopening of schools – NMA chief

The President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Innocent Ujah, said on Wednesday he warned the Federal Government against reopening of schools earlier in the year.

Ujah, who stated this at a webinar organised by the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, added that when he counseled the government against the quick reopening of schools, he was seen as someone who was against the progress of the country’s education sector.

He said the country was not adequately prepared when the schools were reopened.

The NMA chief was reacting to the recent spike in the pandemic cases in the country.

Nigeria currently has 85, 560 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,267 fatalities, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, had on Monday blamed the current spike in the COVID-19 cases to reopening of the economy, schools and lifting of restrictions on religious and social gatherings in the state.

READ ALSO: Lagos govt blames reopening of schools, lifting of restriction on religious gatherings, others for spike in COVID-19 cases

Ujah said: “When the government wanted to reopen the schools, I cautioned them and said if the schools must be reopen, there must be necessary preparation to prevent the children from contracting the virus. One parent wrote the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 that I don’t want people to go to school and that I was being wicked.

“Now, we all know better; a lot of children who sat for the last WASSCE were infected. Today, some corps members have also been infected. These are some of the things that could have been prevented if sufficient precautions were taken before reopening the schools.”

He also decried the disregard for social distancing by Nigerians, saying the development had also contributed to the upsurge in COVID-19 cases across the country.

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