The ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have announced that skeletal activities will be allowed in Nigeria’s Financial System and Money Markets as three cities, Lagos, Abuja and Ogun begin a lockdown Monday night to enable the containment of coronavirus pandemic.
Minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed and CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele said they had obtained exemption from President Buhari in this regard.
The clarification Monday, followed President Buhari’s broadcast in which he ordered a lockdown of these three states as ravaging coronavirus spreads across the country.
“To ensure that Nigerians can still perform online transactions and use ATMs whilst observing these restrictions, we will like to inform the general public and all affected stakeholders that we have obtained exemptions from the President to allow very skeletal operations in the Financial System and Money Markets in order to keep the system in light operations during this time,” they noted in a joint statement.
They applauded the appropriate and proactive restrictions in personal and vehicular movement directed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in light of the devastating effects of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) on many countries around the world.
Ahmed and Emefiele aligned with the President’s believe that these restrictions are critical to significantly reduce the transmission rate of the disease and make it much easier for health professional to trace, test and isolate patients.
They advised all relevant staff of affected outfits and agencies to look out for further instructions from their immediate bosses.
They said government is mindful of the difficulties these restrictions would bring on ordinary Nigerians and are grateful to the President for approving these exemptions, which should help ease some of these burdens.
“We urge all Nigerians to be patient, cooperative and united as all hands are on deck to defeat this virus,” they pleaded.
