Aisha Buhari’s aide gives tips for surviving lockdown

The Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Non-Governmental Organisations, Office of the First Lady, has given tips to Nigerians on how to cope with anxiety and drop in social contacts resulting from the lockdown to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

In a statement on Wednesday, titled, ‘Tips on surviving the COVID-19 lockdown,’ the  SA to the President on NGO, Office of the First Lady, Dr Wole Aboderin, among other tips, urged Nigerians “not to turn to alcohol, drugs or substances,” in a bid to ward off boredom.

Rather, he advised them to “avoid being too isolated, check in with your people (through) WhatsApp, Skype or call your family and friends with some regularity.”

Nigerians were also advised to “build a routine; get up early, exercise, wash, have breakfast, building a timeframe and schedule, prioritise and know what is important, avoid distractions as much as possible.”

The statement added, “Keep a healthy diet and mind your mental health; boost your immune system by staying stress-free; provide children and loved ones with facts, not rumours; don’t panic-buy –  it is a time to plan; maintain social distancing and wash hands regularly.

“We hope you and your family find these tips helpful while observing best practices, and also remember that the Federal Ministry of Health, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, will maintain a real-time update on new cases through the website: covid19.ncdc.gov.ng.”