The Federal Government on Monday kicked against the reopening of schools in Oyo State amidst COVID-19 pandemic, describing such as “insensitive” to the health of the people.
Minister of State for Education, Mr Emeka Uwajiuba, said this at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 daily news conference in Abuja.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had earlier ordered the reopening of schools across the state.
According to the minister, it is expedient to recognise the fact that Oyo State is a government operating under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a Federating unit.
He noted that though the governor had the right to reopen the schools as he deemed fit, but added that the primary purpose of governance remained the security of its people.
Uwajiuba said the Federal Government had over 138,000 schools across the country and for the governor to open the schools was in the “very least insensitive”.
He, however, urged parents to, as a matter of urgency, keep their children and wards under lock and key, to forestall contacting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minister appealed to parents and guardians, whose children and wards would be writing the West African Examinations Council to bear with the government, pending when the necessary arrangements would be made.
He noted that if there was anything the government could do to help in the present circumstances, it would not fail to act.
Uwajiuba stated that the ministry had fixed a meeting with WAEC on how it would arrange the examination time for the exit year children, for revisions in their subjects, to be able to prepare well for their exams.
