COVID-19: 'We Have The Least Casualties' - Buhari Compares Nigeria With Developed Countries

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday noted that the novel Coronavirus pandemic has reduced Nigeria to the same level with advanced countries, noting however that the country has suffered less fatalities than the developed world.

This was as he described the unabated spread of COVID-19 as frightening and advised Nigerians to adhere to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health to stay safe from the disease.

On April 24, 2020, 313 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded and of these fresh cases recorded yesterday, Lagos has 148 new cases, the Federal Capital Territory 36, Rivers 27, Edo 19, Kano 13, Ogun 12, Ebonyi 11, Nasarawa and Delta eight each, Oyo seven, Plateau six, Kaduna five, Kwara four, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa three each, Niger two and Anambra one.

AllNews reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, said, “Nigeria has so far recorded 7,839 cases of COVID-19, with 2,263 persons discharged, while 226 have unfortunately lost their lives.”

But speaking after observing Eid-el-Fitr prayers in his residence at the State House, Buhari called on Nigerians to adhere to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health to stay safe from the disease.

The President, who commended the Minister of Health for doing well so far, maintained that the pandemic had brought both the developed and the developing countries to the same level.

Warning Nigerians to be meticulous about the potency of the disease, the president argued that developing countries, including Nigeria, had a lower rate of casualties than the developed countries.

According to him, “Nigerians can see that the COVID-19 has reduced us, both the developing and developed countries, to the same level. In fact, we have the least casualties than they have.

“So, it’s a very frightening development and I advised Nigerians to be very careful and take the advice of the Ministry of Health.

“Minister of Health has been doing very well, speaking and educating the citizens on the deadly virus. So Nigeria, we should be very careful.”

Buhari went on to pray for a favourable raining season this year, expressing his desire for farmers to return to the farm now to pave the way for an abundance of food provisions for all.

According to him, having sufficient food production this season is imperative because Nigeria does not have funds for food import.

The President said: “I hope the raining season would be bountiful so that we get a lot of food.

“I wish the farmers will go to farms and save our lives so that we can produce what we need in sufficient quantity so that we don’t have to import food.

“In any case, we don’t have any money to import food. So, we must produce what we are going to eat.’’