By Laleye Dipo
As the people of Niger State continue to bear the brunt of the lockdown imposed on the state by the government to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the state Cooperative Federation have called on the government to release more palliatives to cushion the effect of the lockdown on the people.
The organisations made the requests in separate statements in Minna Wednesday in which they also claimed that the initial intervention by government was not far reaching enough.
The statements were signed by Labaran Garba the Caretaker Chairman of the state Cooperative Federation and Ibrahim Umar, the state Chairman of the NUT and Alhaji Labaran Garba, the Principal Assistant Secretary of the NUT.
The organisations noted that most people of the state have not been able to eke out a living for themselves since the lockdown, hence the need for government to further come to their assistance.
The bodies, however, lauded the steps so far taken by the state government to contain the spread of the disease in the state and commended the “tireless efforts of the state Covid-19 task force which has so far stopped the spread of the pandemic” and for what it described as “its unwavering commitment towards sustaining the momentum in containing the spread of the virus to residents in the state”.
Specifically, the Cooperative Federation urged the people of the state to “continue to cooperate with the government” and also called on “all cooperators in the state and other members of the public to intensify prayers towards ensuring
the end of this CONVID-19 pandemic”.
The NUT on its part, appreciates its members for cooperating with the government and for supporting the policies put in place by government to contain the spread of the pandemic in the state.
It however charged all teachers to adhere strictly to the preventive measures such as frequent washing of hands, maintaining social distancing and practising personal and environmental hygiene.
