Ondo governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, has reversed his earlier decision to reopen churches in the state for the Easter Sunday services.
The governor had given churches the permission to conduct Easter Sunday services amidst the lockdown in the state.
After his decision was made public, some Ondo residents took to social media to protest over the decision.
The hashtag #LockDownOndo started trending on micro-blogging site, Twitter.
Governor Akeredolu finally bowed to pressure by reversing the earlier order after a meeting with representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the state.
The governor’s action attracted praise and commendation from many of the campaigners who thanked him for accepting their pleas.
The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his counterpart in Kogi Yahaya Bello, also lifted the ban placed on religious congregations in the state over the coronavirus pandemic with immediate effect.
Bello’s move, according to Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s commissioner for information and communication, is to allow religious bodies to have their normal worship and services.
The governor, however, urged the religious leaders in the state to put in place important preventive measures.
Similarly, the Katsina state government also lifted the ban on Friday prayers in the state with immediate effect.
The decision was taken after the state government held a stakeholders’ meeting with religious leaders, traditional rulers and security agencies in the state.
In a statement signed by the secretary to the state government, Mustapha Inuwa, the government said the Imams were admonished to avoid prolonged sermons in order to discharge their followers within a short period.