Ex-Governor of Lagos State and the National Leader for the All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu has called for unity in Nigeria amidst the COVID 19 pandemic.
He has called on the government to take necessary actions to prevent and control the widespread of the virus.
He said, “We have entered a sobering period. We face a challenge we cannot see but one that can find us all too easily.
As individuals, this puts every one of us at a startling disadvantage. Each is rendered vulnerable by the reckless act of his neighbour.”
Tinubu maintains that each individual is made safer by the enlightened conduct of a stranger and the very nature of this assailant calls toward greater unity and kindness.
He further explained that if Nigeria carry forth in its usual ways, in the wake of Coronavirus, it might lead to a national disaster
He said: “Normal practices will not suffice. We all must do better lest we all fail and suffer the grave consequences of collective failure.
We pray that this terrible cloud will pass from us. However, we must prepare for the possibility that it may linger to rain hard upon us.
The natural instinct will be to reduce spending. Such reductions may be prudent for individuals and households.”
He urges the government to take necessary actions to prevent economic hardship.
“Government should announce a tax credit or partial tax reduction for companies. VAT should be suspended for the next 2-4 months. This will help lower import costs and protect against shortages.”
The government needs to protect people from food shortages and high prices. As such, must quickly improve farm-to-market delivery of agricultural produce.
Also, the government should initiate a crash program to decrease spoilage of agricultural produce by the construction of storage facilities in local marketplaces in and around major cities and towns throughout the country.