Govt Has No Idea Which Schools Are Ready To Re-Open — NMA President

The federal government has no statistics to measure which schools are prepared for re-opening amid the coronavirus pandemic, President of the Nigeria Medical Association, Professor Innocent Ujah, said on Monday.

Prof Ujah made the comment while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

Based on the federal government’s directive, schools resumed in several states nationwide on Monday.

But critics say the government hasn’t done enough to ensure schools are equipped to observe COVID-19 regulations such as social distancing and wearing of face masks.

“If we know that children should go to school, what facilities have we put in place? Our problem is that we do a lot of talking and do very little,” Prof Ujah said. “It is also true that we do not listen to experts.

“What we have been saying is that the coronavirus is totally unprepared for and one year after, what lessons have we learn?

“We know that students should go to school, we know that they should maintain NCDC protocol. But what have we done in schools? Nigeria is a very interesting country, a country full of contradictions.

“The truth is we have no statistics as far as I know, of the number of schools that are ready, whether public or private, and what they should put in place. I feel that we are very sentimental as a nation.

“While we are saying that schools should be reopened, we should be prepared. Who are those monitoring? Who are those supervising the process? Because we can talk and we don’t supervise.”