Close down schools to contain COVID-19, Ogun students tell govt

The National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS) has called on the Ogun state government to immediately shut down all schools in the state to contain the spread of the deadly Coronavirus disease in the state.

The students’ body in a statement issued by its National President, Gbemileke Ogunrombi in Abeokuta on Thursday, insisted that for the measures put in place by the state government to contain the spread of Coronavirus to be more effective, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions must be immediately shut down.

It would be recalled that the state government on Wednesday announced the ban on gatherings of more than 50 people in public places, including social clubs, halls, cinemas, night clubs, restaurants, cafes, and sport arenas.

NAOSS urged the state government take a cue from Lagos state, which had announce the closure of schools in the state and be more proactive by also closing down schools in the state.

The statement reads, “NAOSS is unaware of the fact that schools are veritable grounds for the spread of Coronavirus disease, therefore, to avoid a major health crisis in the state, the government must announce the immediate shut down of schools.”

“It is our belief that students in the state are at high risk of contacting the deadly Coronavirus disease due to the high population of students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the state.”

“To avoid putting our students at risk of contacting the deadly Coronavirus disease, we hereby call on the government of Ogun state to immediately shut all the schools in the state to avert a major health crisis.”


The students’ body also called on government to as matter of urgency deploy health officers with testing kits to the port of entry into Nigeria from Benin Republic to test people entering into the country for Coronavirus disease.

This, NAOSS said, was necessitated by the report of the first case of Coronavirus outbreak in Benin Republic, a neighbouring country to Nigeria.

The students’ body insisted that there was need for the state government to be on the alert as a result of its closeness to Benin Republic.

To avert a major health crisis in the state, NAOSS urged the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, to as a matter of urgency place hospitals and health centres in border communities in the state on the alert and on the lookout for patients with symptoms of the disease.

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