Lockdown: Protect Livelihoods As Well As Lives – Governor Ben Ayade

With lockdown orders keeping people away from work, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers State has advised that livelihoods should be protected as well as lives.

According to Ayade, if the protection of livelihoods is not focused on, hunger will take over after the coronavirus pandemic ends.

The governor who spoke in Calabar stated that to prevent such, his administration has allowed people to go about their normal activities but must wear a protective mask.

He said, “Globally, hunger and hunger-related diseases like kwashiorkor and tuberculosis kill about 8.4million people every year and so there will be more pandemic when it comes to hunger.

“So, we will do all we can to curtail the pandemic from spreading to our state and protect lives too but protection of lives without the protection of livelihoods is a complete imbalance. There must be a holy matrimony between protection of lives and protection of livelihoods.

“Some of our brothers and sisters depend on daily work. If you carry blocks for a living, the day you are stopped from going to work, there will be no money to feed the children,” he stated.