Why Total Lockdown Is Unnecessary
BY SIMON REEF MUSA
I know the decision to impose a total lockdown on the states has already been taken by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). This article is to reiterate on the need to rescind from this decision that is capable of throwing the entire country into confusion. Since the commencement of lockdown by the Federal Government and some states, unprecedented suffering have been the lots of Nigerians. Not only have palliatives as announced by both federal and state governments become a mirage and a ghost that has refused to walk through the streets of the vulnerable, the little bags containing what is term as the COVID-19 Food is a dismal picture.
It is only in Nigeria that the genuine intention of government to reach to the vulnerable has been turned into an oil bloc by some greedy and wicked cabals that are determined to frustrate the good intention of government. To insist that lockdown must continue without resolving issues linked to problems associated with the distribution of palliatives amounts to efforts in futility. As it is, no matter the amount of money spent on providing relief to the weak and poor of society, the road to cushioning the effect of sufferings for the vulnerable is long and fraught with thorns. Those who benefit from the scam called palliative will never allow reprieve to come the way of the poor.
The capacity of public servants, in collaboration with some greedy politicians, to game the system is unassailable. Despite billions of Naira pumped by the government to provide relief to hungry Nigerians, the corruption and wickedness of public servants won’t just go away. The fight against CONVID-19 will be won, not by the whooping sums of money deployed to fight the virus, but by the sincerity of those at the helms of affairs.
If you are wondering why relief materials meant for the poor have continued to disappear from the sight of the common man, what recently happened in Niger state should be an eye opener. In a local government, foodstuff and other items that were procured to cushion the effect of the infection found themselves in the open market. When the local government chairman later found out, he expressed disgust and vowed to deal with these behind the scam. He, thereafter, established a committee to probe the scam. That is the end of the story. Nothing will be heard and when the culprits are identified, the resort to connection and tempering justice with mercy will end the circus of shame and disrepute.
Come to think of it, is it only lockdown that is an appropriate option in staving off the tide of Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria? Why lock down people when you do not have food to feed them? In the face of continuing lockdown, what exit strategy does the country have to control spread of the virus? As I write this piece, less than 10,000 of Nigerians have been tested for COVIC-19. That is an embarrassing figure, considering the fact that the nation’s population is put at 200 million. There is no hope that things may turn around for good. It is only in Nigeria that only those with connection with those in the corridors of power that can be tested. The testing kits are not only grossly insufficient, the health officials are increasingly becoming scare of exposure to the infection due to absence of personal protective equipment.
While other nation are advancing towards finding solutions to the pandemic, Nigeria’s only option is slamming lockdown and appealing to citizens to wash their hands with running water. Let me state here that if the only cure for Coronavirus is washing of hands with running water, then, millions of Nigerians will die. What is the percentage of Nigerias using running water? Perhaps, modern children are not knowledgeable in the use of running water. Sachet water and bottled water is what is prevalent.
Apart from asking people to embrace social distancing, what efforts are government doing promote good hygiene and adherence to conditions that discourage the spread of the virus? For now, Nigeria still has no more than eight testing centres. Many of the newly isolation centres are not equipped for testing. Some of them are only there in name; nothing to show for it. The United Kingdom, with a population of about 60 million, has over 250 testing centres that are equipped the best professional manpower deployed to combat the epidemic. In Nigeria, our government is only interested in collecting money and budgeting funds in the name of fighting the disease that has claimed nearly 50, 000 Americans.
There is no doubt that the days ahead may prove hectic for not only the citizens but the government. The Ramadan fasting will soon commence and the Muslim Ummah may yet find themselves in the greatest battle to survive hardships associated with lockdown. As people have predicted, the epicentre of the infection shall be in the North as shown by the high incidence of poverty in the region.
The states, especially in the North, who have continued to hold to the erroneous truth that total lockdown is the only way forward to preventing the spread of the virus should better wake up from their slumber. What is ailing Nigerian for now is hunger and poverty. Those entrusted with the mandate of providing palliatives and making life less burdensome better must prepare for the future.
It may sound simplistic to resort to locking down people and deploying security personnel to intimidate them. If the government goes ahead with its planned total lockdown, I wish them well. Let all and sundry take note that COVID-19 may serve as the prologue to unleash the anger of the poor against their leaders that have imprisoned them. It is not too late to rescind on this path that will lead us to a revolting battle cry against the injustice of leaders.
The government must retrace it steps and do the right thing: Provide for the poor and needy of society and evolve home-grown strategies against Coronavirus. We may have the billions to spend in combating the disease, but the corruption of the system will frustrate such a fight. The government must think of channeling these relief materials to religious organisations. Public servants cannot be trusted to lead the fight against this epidemic.
