COVID-19: We now have sufficient information to make decision on school reopening — Minister

The Minister of State for Education, Mr Emeka Uwajiuba, says the ministry now has sufficient information to make decision on school reopening.

He however said that such information and decision would have to be presented to the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

The minister said this at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 on Thursday in Abuja.

Uwajiuba said there was sufficient information, considering the reopening of schools, adding however that until such decision is presented to the PTF, the decision for the closure of school remained intact.

The minister also refuted reports that a statement credited to him that Coronavirus was a sham, remained in the figment of the reporters’ imagination.

“I am constrained to refute this allegation that some of our brothers in the media reported that I said Coronavirus is a sham.

“None of those things happened, Coronavirus is real, may be they could not understand my grammar,” he said.

The minister said that part of what he said was the reason the children were kept at home, saying “our children are kept at home because we may not know who is infected”.

According to him, we have conducted survey and parents have said that they are not willing to experiment with their children and wards by sending them to school.

It was reported that a national newspaper reported on its bold headline few days ago that the minister while answering questions at the National Assembly said that Coronavirus is a hoax.

It also alleged in the newspaper that the minister said he had not met a Coronavirus patient despite the noise about the virus.