The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that January 18 remains the resumption date for all schools across the nation.

The announcement was made by the national coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, during a television programme. He revealed that the federal government had no plans of changing the resumption except the Ministry of Education announces otherwise.

“As regards schools, I just want to make a clarification, what the minister said yesterday was that they were going to review, he didn’t say that they were going to change the date. He said they will review the situation and let the nation know.

“So, for the moment, it is still 18th January until the ministry of education comes back either with an alternative date or reconfirms that,” he said.

Recall that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) seconded by the PTF on Covid-19 called for public health advisory as Nigeria recorded 100,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Monday, January,11 2020. 

The Minister of State for Health, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, also disclosed at a briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Monday, January 11, 2020 that the NCDC confirmed 1,024 new cases within 24 hours bringing the number of confirmed cases to 100,087.

Speaking on the reopening of schools which have been in debate since January 4, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association Resident Doctors (NARD) condemned the idea of reopening schools on the premise of the much feared second wave of Covid-19. According to them, the reopening of schools will put the lives of pupils and their teachers at risk.