Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has extended the COVID-19 lockdown in the state for another one week.
Abiodun, last week, announced that the lockdown in Ogun would not end on May 4 as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it would be eased on May 10.
Making a u-turn, Abiodun, at a press conference he addressed at his Okemosan office today, said he was persuaded to extend the lockdown for another one week.
According to the Governor, this was as a result of Ogun residents’ “utter disregard for all precautionary measures, international best practices and safety measures rolled out during the relaxation windows of the lockdown.”
Abiodun expressed worries about the spike in the number of confirmed cases in Lagos State, which is the epicentre of the disease.
Ogun, because of its proximity to Lagos, Abiodun said “we should be concerned about the possible spillover” because residents of the state still sneak into Lagos in spite of the ban on interstate travel.
The Governor said in as much he would love to keep the economy moving, he must take the tough decision of protecting human, saying “the economy can only run if there is human to run it.”
Abiodun stated that the one-week lockdown will be with the current guidelines, adding that the relaxation windows remain Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 7am to 5pm.