In the long run, the story of the year 2020 would become an unending tale through movies, books, and many other platforms.
We cannot stress the shocking way it came upon us. Suddenly, the stories on social media about the sickness and its deadly blow on the people of China came in majesty to our face. No, we will not over flog the lackadaisical attitude that made this disease live in us.
We had the time to prepare us for what is to come but alas, we became more relaxed, “corona no fit survives for Naija hot weather”, became a popular slang in the street, the corridor of power. The result of this assertion is glare to our eyes.
From one, we have today, (53865) confirmed cases! The number accelerates every day. The intriguing part of our corona story is the total lockdown for almost a month in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, and Rivers state. The whack preparation, the faint response to distress calls, poor approach to make COVID testing possible. Let me not mention the result. A friend did the test when a colleague tested positive; his result came out seventeen days after a while in isolation.
In the charade of most state government towards the disease, a certain governor who insisted that nothing like that was in his state while the National Council of Disease Control gave us figures already. On whose tent should we pitch our loyalty? Then there was also a governor who sent people to isolation for defying lockdown rules, maybe the Corona virus was outside waiting for people to step out and the governor plus his entourage were immune to it. Oh no, we cannot forget the palliatives sent to citizens that we hear on televisions only.
It was so easy to send Lagosians inside the house but it is not easy to support families. I am still trying so hard to get the idea behind sending people on lockdown which led many companies to send people on redundancy or outright sack, yet they were not deemed fit for conditional cash transfers. The church instead, played the role meant for the government. We cannot forget in a hurry, the supposed Corona virus patients in Yola, Adamawa State, who came to the street in dissatisfaction with how they are been treated in isolation centers.
Yes, the deadly virus, meant to be kept a distance from came out to the street to the company. The videos we saw overseas showing people who gasp for breath, struggling to eat, motionless became a mirage. They are on the street now; even a journalist was bold enough to interview one without a mask!
Maybe “the corona in America is different from the one we have here”. We survived, that is all that matter, regardless the drama and fight for external support. Since the first ease of the lockdown, normalcy has gradually crept into our everyday life, the economy is restarting. But the focus is on our political terrain, elections are around the corner, we have the Edo state as a litmus test for what campaign and voting system for mat will look like.
Nigerian politics and gathering are Siamese twins. A mammoth crowd during campaigns and even airport reception is always identified as a popularity contest. It is a determining factor in how the poll result will be structured. the social distance measures taken by the government have put this system in jeopardy, although we know the nation we are in, how adjustments will suddenly spring up just to fine-tune the plans melted out for the elections. I am hungry for the day that the best man would win an election in Nigeria. When we will have leaders, who will not be a saint today and demons tomorrow appraised by the same individual!
A greater number of citizens have seen the COVID-19 in Nigeria as a myth. NCDC fueled this allegation by releasing ridiculous numbers every day. Well, staying safe is more important.
However, how all these get to determine our political future and events is there all determining factors in our growth. Are we going to see the pandemic and management tool as a bragging right or condemnation vibe? It will be no strange to our eyes when we see events like that.
Definitely, they will playout. I am more concerned if we will throw caution to the wind and go about like COVID never happened just like at late Abba Kyari’s funeral. I wonder why who made rules, break them too? If there is a time when good leaders become most valued, the time is now.
Total lockdown dealt a huge blow on our economy. “From an unemployment rate forecast to rise to 33.5% by 2020, to a global pandemic that could push at least 5 million people into poverty and, a near 14% inflation rate as well as an impending recession, the Nigerian future looks dire in the coming months, according to multiple data and reports from several agencies including the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Program”.
This is a worrisome statistics and good measures need to be taken to resort standard of living to a favorable position. We all witnessed how our local hospitals overlooked by our power holders became Mecca in a space of short time. The virus took us by storm not because that we did not have enough time to prepare for it, we rather felt relaxed and that cost us a whole lot and still affecting all sectors of our economy.
Economy and political power are two sides of same coin. Post Covid-19 lockdown, two state elections are around the corner. What are the measures set out by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for easy voting system that observed all safety measures laid out by NCDC?
What is role of the government to reduce the impact of the virus on the economy? These are desperate times, time for action. It is never too late to fulfill electoral promises. We as a nation are good in forgiving; we flow with the moving train. We are all for the good of the nation and our growth!
