The Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbeshola has cautioned Nigerians to remain indoors, saying gradual easing of lockdown does not mean the pandemic is over.

Aregbeshola said this at the public presentation of the fourth edition of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) annual report since the commencement of the administration in 2016 on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Minister, however, urged people to remain indoors and avoid crowded places to help fight collectively the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

“Don’t visit, stay in your house, don’t attend parties so as to curtail the deadly virus affecting Nigeria and the world at large.

“The issue of COVID-19 is beyond ourselves. I want to appeal to Nigerians to exhibit a sense of responsibility in the fight against COVID-19.

“We must all survive this pandemic. Let us ensure physical and social distancing with all our strength. It is also with the strength of our economy that we all can survive.

“Let us collectively confront through responsible ways to ban COVID-19 totally from Nigeria,” he said.

The Minister commended NIS for impressive achievements recorded in 2019 and urged them to do more to surpass the record in 2020.

He also encouraged the service to take advantage of the opportunities of new discoveries, creative ideas and adaptability presented by COVID-19 pandemic. (NAN)