Callers on Nigeria Info 92.3FM radio programme on Wednesday appealed to religious leaders to be part of the ongoing fight against coronavirus in Rivers State.
A caller said that religious leaders should ensure that churches were not overcrowded.
The caller also said religious leaders should see their members obey directives of government in fight against coronavirus.
The caller said religious leaders should preach sermons to encourage their members obey political authority and follow orders given by government as it tackles the coronavirus pandemic.
Another caller, Daniel, said churches should observe social distancing and use hand sanitizers and not just pray believing faith alone would save them.
He said that churches should encourage government in the fight against coronavirus.
Another caller however said that there was mass ignorance among people concerning the coronavirus pandemic.
He said measures put in place by the government in the fight against coronavirus were not working, saying people were not obeying the directives.
He said that people were not obeying directives because of poverty and mistrust of government.
The caller said government had not communicated properly to people over the coronavirus pandemic.
Another caller said religious leaders should not promote beliefs to say the disease was for the people of the world and not for Christians who are not of the world.
The caller said religious leaders should dissuade members from holding beliefs that seem to say that they obey only God and not any political authority, saying this could be problem.
The caller said: “Unfortunately a lot of religious extremists seem to believe the pastors the more because they are close to them and they brainwash them to the reality on ground”.
On border closure, callers on the programme rapped security operatives for allegedly collecting bribe and allowing people to come into the state.
In a WhatsApp message, one of the participants said: “We are truly stubborn and nonchalant. I just saw someone that came in from Lagos yesterday (and he said) he came through private Sienna. He (said he) paid N12, 000 from Lagos because the driver will settle people at the border”.
Another participant, Segun, said: “The numbers of people entering through the borders are more than the ones Caverton helicopter brought in by their pilots”.
Other participants said that there was lot of politics around coronavirus pandemic.
A participant alleged that people were coming into the state through boundary routes in Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of the state and appealed to governor of the state to send a task force to the boundary areas to check the “influx of unscreened” travellers into the state.
The participant also appealed to chairmen in the two local government areas to ‘beef up patrol’ in those areas.
The callers agreed there was need to comply with directives given by the government in the fight against coronavirus adding government should balance fight against coronavirus with meeting needs of the people of the state.
