We can’t allow COVID-19 to stop governance – FG

The Federal Executive Council was held yesterday via teleconferencing to keep activities and programmes running despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who addressed State House reporters after the first virtual cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the country must not allow COVID-19 to stop governance.

Mohammed said the use of teleconferencing had proven to be a “very efficient way of running government.”

He said: “It’s been quite a while and I am sure you all know why. It’s COVID-19 but we must not allow COVID-19 to completely stop us it might have slowed us down, but we must find ways of coping with COVID-19.

“The task force and the various emergence response centres all over the country are doing their best to arrest and slow down the spread, government also thought it was important also to at least find a way of running government that is why we resorted to technology.

“After a long time, for the first time in the history of this country; if I can remember, a Federal Executive Council was held via  teleconferencing where only ministers that had memoranda to present were physically present at the villa, while other ministers joined form their various offices via teleconferencing. And if this is anything to go by, it has even proven to be very efficient way of running government.”