Social media users have been divided on the question of whether Lagos State should be on lockdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Lagos State Government had put the question to a vote on social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter.

Flavision observed that less than 18 hours to the end of the poll on Facebook, 9,500 users had voted.

While 59 per cent voted no to lockdown, 41 per cent voted yes.

On Twitter, 74,625 people had voted in less than 20 hours to the end of the poll.

While 49.3 per cent voted yes to lockdown, 40.1 per cent said no to lockdown. However, 10.6 per cent were indifferent.

A resident, Leke Ajala, said resorting to another lockdown could cause a revolt.

Ajala explained that the palliatives the government distributed during the last lockdown were insufficient and did not get to the vulnerable and the poor.

A larger percentage of residents were left uncatered for. What the government should do now is continuous education and enforcement of directives. The sanitation inspectors in all the LCDAs and the LGA should be deployed in markets and notable public places within their domains with the help of law enforcement agencies to effect the directives,

he added.

Another social media user, Bolanle Ahmed, asked if the government had the capacity to feed all residents.

Many lives and homes depend on daily earnings and if there is lockdown, what will happen to them?

she queried.

However, one Ralph Adeniyi asked the government to lock down the state and deploy soldiers on the streets.

Lockdown and use the army for the roadblocks; the police (are) collecting bribes and letting people move around. We need a month total lockdown; please let’s save lives,

he wrote.

Some users berated the government for raising such a question on the social media, adding that most residents were not on Facebook and Twitter.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.