Nigerians across social media platforms say an extension of the lockdown won’t be appreciated.
An overwhelming number of respondents who participated in a Pulse Nigeria online poll, are kicking against an extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown imposed in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun since March 30.
On March 30, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari imposed lockdowns in the three aforementioned jurisdictions in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. At the time, Nigeria had 97 confirmed cases of the virus.
On April 13, the president extended the lockdowns by another two weeks, as the number of COVID-19 figures from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) continued to rise.
On April 13, when the president extended the lockdown, Nigeria’s confirmed coronavirus tally had risen to 323, with Lagos (176) and Abuja (76) accounting for 71 percent of the total figures.
The president will take to the cameras for another broadcast on April 27, as the lockdown declaration of April 13 expires, with Nigeria’s confirmed coronavirus tally surpassing the one thousand mark.
As of April 26, the NCDC has reported 1273 coronavirus cases in Nigeria across 30 states, with 239 recoveries and 40 deaths.
Should Buhari extend or not?
Pulse Nigeria respondents across our social media channels, who participated in an nline poll that spanned the week of April 21-26, say the president should lift the lockdown.
On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, our question was: “Given the rising number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Nigeria, should the federally imposed lockdowns be extended?”
On Instagram, 51 percent voted No, while 49 percent voted for an extension.
On Twitter, 44 percent agreed with an extension, 22 percent advised the president against one and 34 percent chose the ‘partial lockdown’ option.
On Facebook, 61 percent of Pulse Nigeria readers said there should be no extension, with 39 percent asking the president to extend.
A couple of states across Nigeria have also imposed restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Given the nature of online polls, Pulse could not ascertain if respondents to this poll reside in other states asides Ogun, Abuja and Lagos.
However, Lagos and Abuja account for the most internet penetration in Nigeria and still account for the most COVID-19 cases at this time.
State governors have also asked President Buhari to declare the use of face masks compulsory in the weeks ahead.
The president will be addressing Nigerians on whether he would be extending federally imposed lockdowns or not, in a couple of hours.Source: Pulse Nigeria#MUHAMMADU BUAHRI #NCDC #CORONAVIRUS
