An Abuja-based doctor Zainab Suleiman has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider the relaxation of the lockdown amid COVID-19 spread.


She stated this in an open letter forwarded to Mr. President on May 5, 2020.

The letter reads in part: “I believe you will not mind my scant courtesy. It is due to the sense of urgency with which I am writing this letter. However, it does not detract from the very high regard that many Nigerians (chief of whom I am one ) and a lot of people globally have for you.



“I consider it expedient to write you this letter in the light of recent happenings around the world and in our nation.

“Since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in December 2019, things have unprecedentedly turned around globally, accelerating in the written order.”

On the role played by the Federal Government in the fight against the pandemic, Suleiman said: “First, I would like to take this opportunity to commend you and the government for the decisive steps taken to curb and manage the spread of this Covid-19 pandemic.

”I also would like to commend you for engaging our healthcare providers in our country, and recommend that the Minister for Health, Dr Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire and the Director-General for Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu continue to engage the members of the health ministry and the public in a bid to find lasting solutions to the hydra-headed monster ravaging us in this trying time.


“As a concerned Nigeria, I am in agreement with your assessment, as indicated in your recent press releases, that there are some areas of critical focus as we move forward in curbing this pandemic in Nigeria.



”Your Excellency, I would also like us to be abreast of the banes and consequences that could arise from the recent relaxation of the lockdown across the country.

Permit me to take a cue from countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America, and many other countries that are currently in some degree of “lockdown,” with restaurants and bars, shops, schools, and gyms closed, and citizens required, or at least strongly encouraged, to stay home to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus,” she added.


On the easing of the lockdown, the doctor said: “The recent lift of ban of the lockdown in Nigeria is going to cause the country and its citizenry more harm than the intended good, the suffering of having the virus to reproduce and since populations get mixed, there will be high tendencies of infections among people.


We wouldn’t need a prophet to tell us that with the relaxation of the lockdown and social distancing measures, we can expect high infected rate and peak mortality in approximately three months.”

According to her; “In this scenario, a larger population would be infected, with people coming together since most of the people are asymptomatic to the hydra-headed monster.