The Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Tokunbo Abiru has charged Nigerians and Lagosians in particular not to let down their guard yet, against the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
Abiru warned that, doing otherwise would be suicidal as, ‘infections rates are still terribly high. It is suicidal to let down our guard’, he warned.
SenatorAbiru gave the advise at Lagos SUBEB office on Monday, during the official presentation of Covid-19 materials- nose masks to pupils of public primary schools in the Lagos East Senatorial District. He also donated protective materials to LASUBEB for onward distribution to primary school teachers in the district.
‘Today, TACT is donating 150,000 face masks to pupils in the Lagos East Senatorial District to complement necessary protocols against COVID-19. Aside from the protective materials that is being handed over to the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB today, we shall be intervening by providing eye-glasses to teachers in LESD who need prescription eyeglasses to improve their vision after taking them through a formal eye examination’, he stated.
Abiru noted that, ‘the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world for the better part of 2020 and is still raging till date created unimaginable crises for the entire mankind’.
‘Even developed economies became helpless as the greatest public health crisis crippled livelihoods and lives’.
The former Polaris Bank CEO lamented that, ‘In Nigeria like other climes, schools and other social institutions were shut for months as leaders strived to stem the tide of deaths and flatten the curve of infections’.
Abiru however maintained that, ‘schools cannot be shut forever because “the cost of ignorance will ultimately be worse or deadlier than health pandemic”.
‘He explained further that, ‘Education being paramount on our agenda list, we deem it expedient to support pupils and teachers of public primary schools in Lagos East with protective materials as a non-pharmaceutical measure to curtail the rate of infections in the schools’.
‘We cannot afford to fail young children who have chosen to learn. It is our duty as leaders to protect these minors who are the most vulnerable segment of the society in the context of the war against COVID-19 pandemic’, he added.
Abiru also acknowledged the bold leadership of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, and the front line incident commander in the war against COVID-19, and also his determination in improving the learning outcomes of pupils in the public schools through the adoption of Information Communication Technology, ICT as an instructional tool.
He also testified to the amazing testimonies from critical stakeholders in the Education sector in Lagos to the efficacy of EkoExcel initiative which aims to drive excellence in learning for about 500,000 pupils across 1016 primary schools and up skilling teachers to be ICT compliant.
‘On behalf of my constituency team TACT, I wish to thank the resourcefulness of the current board and leadership of LASUBEB for impact you are making in building the foundation of our future leaders. I want to assure you that we shall constantly work with LASUBEB to further and improve this cause’, he concluded.
