When Lockdown Not Sufficient 

BY SIMON REEF MUSA

Since President Muhammadu Buhari issued a shutdown order on Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in order to curb the global rampage caused by COVID-19, life for the average Nigerian has degenerated into a burden. With the extension of the lockdown for another fortnight by the President last Monday, the storm of protests by the vulnerable citizens is set to begin. In Abuja, a video clip on a mild protest by a taxi driver whose cab was impounded by the police went viral and prognosticated signs of thing to come. Already, two persons have been killed by policemen in Delta state over violation of the lockdown order.

More than the past, the patience of Nigerians is being put to test, as citizens are forced to stay indoors amidst food shortages and scarcity of essentials. Where there are no protests, tensions are rising and the citizens are getting increasingly agitated over what the future holds. In a country where the government has hinged its war against Coronavirus on only shutdown option, the high incidence of poverty makes rubbish of any gain achieved by restriction of persons. The so-called palliatives as announced by the Federal Government has become more of a scam aimed at benefitting only politicians and their cronies. From reports so far received from various parts of the country, the quest for alleviating the pains of citizens in lockdown may turn out a painful delusion.

In recognition of the fact that the shutdown option is not appropriate in countries with high incidence of poverty, the World Health Organization (WHO) had earlier warned against the imposition of lockdown on a populace that depends on daily incomes. As if taking advantage of the virus, government officials now resort to ordering security into the streets to ensure compliance to the lockdown order. As hunger and deprivation continue to unleash its bare fangs on Nigerians, it would take more than the resolve of the police and other security agencies to enforce lockdown order on hungry citizens.

More pathetic, the non-inclusion of transportation as an essential service sector has led to congestion at the ports. Considering the relevance of uninterrupted operations at the ports that has been disrupted, prices of foods and other imported essentials may soon hit the roof. From what we are seeing now, the strategies evolved by the Federal Government for containing the pandemic are yet to be thoroughly examined and reviewed against prevailing conditions and taking into cognisance Nigeria’s peculiar situation.

To simply adopt options embraced by developed economies without considering our nature is certainly not an option for now. Beyond the order by President Buhari that the sum of $150 million be deducted from the National Sovereign Fund (NSF) for the June FAAC allocation, what other decision has government taken to tackle the challenge of dwindling revenue? The government has failed to recognise that our ability to survive these present challenges is dependent on our own strategies and creative impetuses to confront the common unseen enemy that has left over 160,000 dead, including no fewer than 33,000 of the fatalities in the United States of America. As the world struggles to come out of this global tragedy, Nigeria must rise up from its slumber and be prepared to meet the monstrous beast of death. This can be only achieved not by ordering for shutdown and constituting mobile courts to try violators of the shutdown order, we must not only walk through the difficult path of cushioning the negative impacts of Coronavirus on Nigerians, but also evolve solid templates in destroying the infection in the long run.

Since the outbreak of the first index case of COVID-19 in February 2020 through an anonymous Italian, the knowledge that Nigeria is not a working society has been proven beyond doubt. Not only has government’s handling of the infection embarrassing, the reclusiveness of the national leadership in rising above the tempest represents a collective doom for a country faced by a myriad of problems. It is a tragedy of monumental proportion that those expected to provide leadership during this tragedy have resorted to profiting from our collective tragedy.

In plotting for victory against COVID-19, the government hurriedly went into the trenches without re-assessing its preparedness. As it was in the past, our government was convinced that, just as it was with Ebola, this pandemic will fizzle out in due time. Against rational thinking, Nigerians refused to ask the following questions: Did we take time to review our competence to reach out to all and sundry? Are we equipped with the necessary data to identify poor Nigerians and provide for their survival during the lockdown? Who shall we entrust with the task of carrying essentials to underprivileged citizens locked down in our nation’s various slums and suburbs? 

Daily briefings by the Presidential Task Force (PTF), headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has been turned into a circus show of shame where government continues to demonstrate gross incompetence in combating the infection. Despite earlier assurances by the Health Minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire, that the country was fully prepared to contain the virus, Nigeria suddenly went into disarray when the first index case in Lagos was discovered on February 27, 2020.

As cases of the pandemic continues to walk its way to the roof, government must avoid this simplistic approach of clamping down citizens in lockdown.  Value Added Tax (VAT) should be eliminated to reduce prices of goods and commodities. The suggestion of providing free electricity to Nigerians should not be jettisoned. More than anything, the shutdown must be lifted to allow for the return of normalcy and economic activities. Despite recording over 33,000 deaths as at yesterday’s afternoon, President Donald Trump of the United States is working for the re-opening of the economy.  

No doubt, the future looks challenging, and there is need to think out of the box. A nation that is enmeshed in hunger cannot think and do what is appropriate in surviving the curves of gloom that lie ahead. Dwelling too much on palliatives and shutdown cannot be viable options for Nigeria that depends more on outside than inside to survive.