TheCable

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has ordered the closure of all universities in the country.

Suleiman-Ramon Yusuf, NUC’s deputy executive secretary, who gave the directive in a notice to vice-chancellors on Friday, said it is to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Yusuf said the school closure will commence from Monday, March 23, 2020, and last for one month.

The development comes one day after the federal government ordered the closure of all tertiary institutions and Unity Schools.

Sonny Echono, permanent secretary of the ministry of education, had earlier announced that Adamu Adamu, minister of education, had directed all higher institutions to suspend activities.

“We have directed all higher institutions to close this weekend. Unity Schools that have completed their exams are to close immediately. Others are to hurry and close the latest on 26th March,” he had said in a statement.

Nigeria currently has 12 confirmed cases of cronavirus. The government has taken different measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

The National Sports Festival, scheduled for Edo state, was cancelled, all orientation camps of the National Youth Service Corps across the country were shut while travel ban was imposed on 13 high-risk countries, including China, UK and US.

Some state governments also banned public officials from foreign trips while advising Nigerians to cancel all travels abroad, especially to high-risk countries.