The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned Nigerians to stop buying fairly used imported clothes aka Okrika, saying it is a source of importing coronavirus.
The head of NEMA, Imo/Abia operations, Mr. Evans Ugoh issued the warning in Owerri while addressing disaster stakeholders at a workshop.
Already, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the COVID-19 as a global pandemic as death toll rose outside China with Italy recording over 600 deaths.
He noted that the continuous patronage of imported fairly used textile, fairly used clothes is a direct invitation of the virus into Nigeria.
Ugoh urged the Federal government to place sanctions on importation of fairly used textiles in order to discourage smugglers from bringing them into the country.
“This is a message to all Nigerians who are in the habit of patronizing fairly used clothes imported from abroad particularly contact countries
“We should be aware that those already diagnosed with the virus abroad could also dispose their clothes where it could eventually be imported to Nigeria”, he added.
He also urged the government to step up awareness campaign on CoronaVirus in Nigeria.
The agency also called for inclusion of disaster management as part of academic course in universities and polytechnic curriculum.