COVID-19: The fight is now in your hands, FG tells Nigerians

The Federal government has said the gradual easing of the restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) meant that all Nigerians must begin to take personal responsibility for the fight henceforth.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Pandemic, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said this during Tuesday’s daily media briefing by the task force in Abuja.

According to Mustapha, the success of Nigeria’s national response effort against COVID-19 would now depend largely on the personal and collective responses of Nigerians, whom he said need to start taking responsibility for their actions from now on, especially as it concerned the COVID-19 fight.

“It is very important that we acknowledge the fact that the next phase we are going into is a very serious one, it’s the phase of personal responsibility and each and everyone of us will have to take this personal responsibility.

“If you read that literature of previous pandemics in the world, you will be minded and guided that this is not a time for part, this is the time for each and everyone of us to take personal responsibility and the only way we can take personal responsibility is to take heed of the advisories.

“The medical advisory of keeping social distance, of personal hygiene, of wearing masks, of avoiding unnecessary travels and unnecessary visitations because what will happen to each and everyone of us, going forward, will depend on what we do.

“My passionate appeal and I expect you to convey that to the people of Nigeria, that the government is trying to do the best it can to provide safety and resources and facilities for us to combat COVID-19. That the response of the citizens, on an individual and collective basis, will determine whether we will succeed or not. That is the crux of the matter; that the next stage is that of personal responsibility for each and everyone of us”, he said.