Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has noted that the extension of the lockdown by the President was a tough decision but necessary to avoid the catastrophic effects of coronavirus as seen in other countries.

He stated this in a series of tweets on Tuesday, a day after President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of the lockdown order in Lagos and Ogun States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by another two weeks.

He added  that the State government is focusing on the security and welfare of residents in the state.

“My biggest focus now is security and welfare,” he said in one of the tweets.

The governor who confirmed reports of pockets of insecurity across different areas of the state said that intelligence has shown a combination of exploitation by criminal elements taking advantage of the situation.

He, however, stated that police operatives have been responsive while measures have been put in place to increase surveillance and response time in the last 24 hours.

On welfare, Governor Sanwo-Olu revealed that the second half of the first phase of the distribution of food and relief materials targeted at the vulnerable was on course.

He added that the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfer has also begun to help reduce the burden and complement ongoing efforts.

Sanwo-Olu’s tweet reads in full:

Dear Lagosians, yesterday H.E Pres. @MBuhari announced a 2 weeks extension of the lockdown. This was a tough decision but like we have seen in countries that couldn’t stop the spread of #COVID19, the effects have been catastrophic. My
biggest focus now is security and welfare.

On welfare, the second half of the first phase of our reformed Lagos food relief distribution which is targeted at the vulnerable is on course. The federal government’s conditional cash transfer has also begun to help reduce the burden and we are working on doing more.

As a state, we understand that this lockdown will stretch us because of some structural problems we are contending with, however I want to thank Lagosians for rising up with empathy and strength. We have to do more and the government will do more, let’s beat #COVID19 together.