Wife of the governor of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday commenced special sanitation visits to markets in the state to raise awareness in the ongoing efforts to contain Covid-19, also known as Coronavirus.
Nigeria recorded its first index case (an Italian) of the deadly disease on February 25, 2020. He came into the country onboard a Turkish Airline and started developing symptoms of the disease while at a company’s guest facility in Ogun State, before being moved to Lagos and quarantined at the isolation centre, Yaba, where officials confirmed he is recovering fast.
Government at various levels have since the first index case continued to warn against spreading unconfirmed rumours that could create undue public panic in the country while taking measures to contain the disease. Several persons in Nigeria, including some Chinese suspected to have possibly contracted the virus, have tested negative.
Sanwo-Olu’s wife, who was at Tejuosho Ultra Modern Market, Yaba emphasised the need for traders and other residents of the state to imbibe regular hand washing with soap and water as well as lots of fruits intake to build immunity against Coronavirus.
According to her, it was important for people to fortify themselves and follow experts’ advice to ward off threat of the disease.
She believed that market sanitation was a critical factor in protecting the health of residents, assuring that the government would do everything that could ensure the cleanliness of markets across the state.
“It is important for the markets to be clean. It is also important for people to imbibe the habit of regular washing of hands with soap and water.
“It is very important that we should all be aware that as long as we are eating clean and healthy vegetables and fruits, we would be able to increase our immunity so that we will be strong to fight the virus,” said Ibijoke, who is a medical doctor.
Speaking further, she said: “This time around we need double dose of clean vegetables; double dose of fruits and for the doctors we would recommend Vitamin C to build your immunity and even when you have any of the attacks like cough and so on, it would run its course and not stay in your body.”
She also noted that in line with the ongoing campaign to end Tuberculosis, it was equally essential to educate the people to use handkerchiefs to cover their mouth when coughing and in case that is not available, the hand or elbow should be used to prevent the spread of the disease, as well as regular medical check-up.
Ibijoke, however, commended the leadership of the Tejuosho Market for maintaining a clean environment, just as she urged them to go further to ensure that the shop owners in adjourning areas to the market also key into the efforts to foster cleaner environment.
The chairman of Surulere local government, Tajudeen Ajide commended the wife of the governor for choosing a market in the council as the first in the sanitation visitation.
