As the current lockdown nears its end, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control NCDC has hinted at a further extension in the nearest future.

The disease control body recently revealed that our nation is yet to reach the point where its containment protocols could be relaxed amid the deadly pandemic.

Speaking recently, Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Iheakwazu said that even if relevant authorities are doing everything possible to ease restriction measures, Nigeria is yet to reach that point because the country is still at a major risk of spreading the virus quickly if citizens are freed to go out.

He added that even if several families have been unable to bury their dead, marriages have been rescheduled, jobs have been lost, companies have been inactive, life has been suspended, until we reach the position where we can relax the lockdown, it has to continue.

His words, “I will like to start by thanking everyone for their continued sacrifice on this journey and their continued cooperation with the lockdown as advised and instituted by Mr President and many other Governors across the country.

As we travelled around the country over the last four days, we could really see how difficult it has been and how hard Nigerians have been trying to do their best. We know it is a difficult journey but we also know that we will eventually exit this stage and we return to our normal lives, but that stage is still a while to come and I ask for your endurance, your support, your patience. A lot of efforts are going on across the world to find new therapies, to find vaccines and everybody is pushing very hard in this direction. So, we need to stay firm.

“Spreading the virus, we do when we go out. We are an outgoing society. We live and work outdoors. So, staying at home and thinking about every movement we make is very important especially when we feel the need to travel. I recognize how difficult these things are at the moment. Many families I know personally have not been able to bury their dead, they have rescheduled their marriages, baptisms and everything they are doing.

So, in a way, it feels like life has been suspended or we have suspended so many of the things that we hold dear. I am sure that as leaders, we recognise the sacrifices being made by all Nigerians but we have to encourage each other to continue. Continue until we get to the position where we can relax some of that, but to get to that place, we have to continue in the short term.”