The Federal Government has denied that it has set a November 2020 resumption date for primary and secondary schools nationwide.
It will be recalled that schools in Nigeria at all levels are currently closed as a result of the spread of global coronavirus pandemic.
The federal Ministry of Education in a statement by Mr Ben Boong, its Director of Press, urged Nigerians to disregard the fake notice, making the round in the social media that a resumption date has been fixed for the schools.
The government said that the author of the fake news was believed to be mentally unstable and it has declared a manhunt for him or her.
The statement said that Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, could not have signed a press release where the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Sonny Echono, granted an interview to a reporter from an online medium, as stated in the fake release.
The ministry therefore declared the release calling for schools to resume by November 2020 as a result of the pandemic spread as fake and stated that it should be disregarded.
“The Federal Ministry of Education has disowned a press release circulating on multiple social media platforms insinuating that schools will reopen in November 2020, describing the release as the handiwork of an illiterate, who, going by the content of his release also appears to be mental.
“The ministry is asking parents, students and the general public to disregard the release in its entirety, adding that there is no iota of truth about the release. Efforts are on to track the author, and he or she will be prosecuted.
“We could have ignored the release but for the massive calls from our education correspondents, parents and other stakeholders expressing concerns.”
