Coronavirus: Ooni urges Nigerians to stay at home, avoid rumour peddling

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has implored Nigerians to stay at home and ensure they avoid rumour mongering in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ogunwusi gave the advice while addressing newsmen at his palace in Ile Ife on Thursday.

He said that it was important for citizens to believe in the ability of the government to secure them in this challenging period.

The monarch admonished Nigerians to obey all principles laid down by Federal and State Governments in order to be safe from the pandemic.

“The easiest solution to it is for everyone to stay at home, COVID-19 is not a respecter of anybody and it does not honour anybody.

“This is the first time in a very long while that the whole world is having a common problem, we must tackle it together.

“We must look beyond the current negativities attached and look at the lessons embedded in this challenging period of our lives.

“Coronavirus teaches high personal hygiene, let us be clean and embrace regular handwashing with clean water and sanitiser.

“It also teaches that Nigeria as a member of the global community should invest in something bigger and also respect nature because we need it to survive, nature does not need us.

“While staying at home, let us maintain a high level of decency and avoid rumour peddling because panic kills faster than the virus itself.

“We now have several fake news flying across, let us act responsibly by not instilling fear in one another and it shall be well with us,” the Ooni said.