The Federal Ministry of Education has appealed to Nigerians to ignore reports in circulation that claim the education minister, Adamu Adamu, has directed the reopening of schools.
Ben Gooong, the spokesperson of the ministry, in a statement on Sunday, April 12, 2020, said there was no such directive from the minister because everyone had been instructed to work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gooong said parents and guardians must not be misled by fake news but should continue to abide by the government’s regulations to tackle the ravaging pandemic.
“On the issue of reopening of schools, the ministry has not directed the reopening of any school at any level,” he said.
He said the purported press release alleged to have been issued by the minister that schools should reopen, is a clear case of forgery as it did not emanate from the minister.
“Parents, students, and the general public are advised to please disregard the fake release. There is also another story making the rounds that the Federal Government has blamed the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities on vice-chancellors. At no time did any Federal Government official make that kind of statement,” he said.
Closing of schools
Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the federal government ordered the closure of all Nigerian institutions to help contain the spread.
Nigeria currently has 323 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Eighty-five have been discharged and 10 deaths have been recorded.
