The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has flagged off her entry into the intervention networks through the branch of ASUU in University of Ibadan to tackle the spread of the novel Corona virus.
National President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi while speaking today in Ibadan said figures from the University of Ibadan’s COVID-19 Committee on Data Analysis and Management indicate that “if the current trend continues, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is expected to be at least 312 by 3rd April 2020” – just three days from now”.
Prof Ogunyemi said Nigeria should not confront the challenge by bemoaning her fate, but join forces together to do what China and other well-organised societies have done to “flatten the curve”.
The ASUU president further said” the challenge of our time calls for collective action and there is no room for complacency. In the last one week or so, many State Governors have reeled out several measures to regulate socio-economic and political activities in order to scale down the spread of the life-threatening COVID-19.
“Those measures were recently given a national endorsement in President Muhammadu Buhari’s speech two days ago when he finally locked down Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory for 14 days because of the emerging trends.
“The statistics are staggering: from a slow start of the Italian contact case on 27th February, 2020 in Lagos, the slow increase of one or two per week has given way to doubling the numbers weekly with the threat of exponential increase in transmission either from undisclosed returning overseas travellers or secondary contacts who have had one thing or the other to do with them.
“As at Monday, 30th March, 2020, the number of confirm cases is 131. And if it continues it would get to 312 in three days time.
“We understand information, education and communication (IEC) is key to success, backed up with access to health facilities and basic medicaments.
“It is for this reason that we are flagging off our entry into the intervention networks through ASUU- UI today. In doing so, we hope our token efforts would produce the desired result in awareness creation for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Oyo State and Nigeria”.
