Coronavirus worst than 14th century Black Death - Oba of Benin
Oba of Benin Kingdom, Ewuare II

The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has said that the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is worst than the Black Death, also known as the Pestilence, which was regarded as the most devastating pandemic recorded in human history.

Ewuare II explained that the only difference between the Black Death and COVID-19 was that while Black death did not spread across all parts of the world, the COVID-19 did.

Advertisements

The Chairman of the Edo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs, disclosed this during a recent visit to Government House to assess the government’s response to COVID-19.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus enters Anambra, Niger, as Nigeria’s cases hits 305

The Black Death, which also originated in Asia, was the most devastating pandemic recorded in human history, resulting in the deaths of up to 75 to 125 million, people globally (in Europe, Asia and North Africa), peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351.

It reportedly took 200 years for Europe’s population to recover to its previous level while some regions did not recover until the 19th century.

Advertisements

Ewuare II urged the people of Edo State to take precautionary measures and comply with the government’s guidelines to prevent the COVID-19 spread.

In a statement made available to iBrandTV, the monarch stated that, “The coronavirus is even more than what they used to call the Black Death in Europe in those days, just that it (the Black Death) wasn’t global; but COVID-19 is global and not limited to any region.

Advertisements

“Although we have our government both at the state and federal levels trying to allay our fears over the pandemic, it’s really very dreadful. You have to be very cautious; be scared of this virus.”

“If schools and businesses are being closed in Nigeria and institutions are shutting down in the United States, United Kingdom and other developed countries of the world; if Nigeria is banning travel from European countries that used to be our supposed greener pasture, where our people used to run to for better lives, then this is a very serious matter,” he added.

Advertisements

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.