Coronavirus: Atiku calls for suspension of flight operations with affected countries

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for temporary suspension of flight operations between Nigeria and countries with prevalent cases of coronavirus with a view to containing the scourge of the disease.

He said, “recently, we closed our borders as an act against economic sabotage. Perhaps now is the time to temporarily halt flights to and from any nation with a prevalence of this scourge.

“It is more important to secure human lives, than to secure an economy. We also need to invest in early detection facilities at our airports.

He also called for unity to defeat the deadly Conoravirus.

Atiku who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election in a statement by his Media Office said Nigeria has had her first confirmed case of the Corona Virus infestation, via a citizen of Italy, who visited Lagos and Ogun states and would want to offer his patriotic counsel “to the government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari” on how best to tackle the issue.

He said there was complete unity, solidarity and oneness of purpose, which created the atmosphere that defeated the deadly Ebola infestation during the PDP -led government.

Atiku said Nigeria needed firm and decisive actions to prevent escalation of the Conora Virus scourge.

“We must call upon our experience with the Wild Ebola Virus, of which we were the first nation in the world to defeat that scourge in 2014. How did Nigeria do it? We achieved it by showing unprecedented unity. The federal government of the day, worked closely with the Lagos and Rivers state governments.

“I strongly counsel that any tendency to blame and point fighters must be temporarily, if not permanently, suspended. If fingers must be pointed, it must be to solutions.

“But above all, Nigeria must not panic. Whether at government or individual levels. We have defeated Ebola before and we can defeat this present predicament.

“This crisis is an opportunity to show that we are first and foremost Nigerians, and that we have no other country but our own dear fatherland, which we must work together to keep healthy and secure,” Atiku said.