COVID-19; The Law Of Staying At Home And The Lapses Of The Nigerian Leaders -By Kareem Itunu Azeez

Some four months ago, a virus had sprung up in the far away land of China, in a place call Wu-han, followers of issues like this, would know too well that the Asian country isn’t a novice for deadly viruses as this, from SARS, to MERS, down to CORONA virus, all had been issues troubling the Chinese people, from time immemorial. And even though preventive measures has been ongoing to curb its spread, some people across the world still are of the opinion that this is a self created virus by some people, but the issue is not about personal opinion for now, but how this affect third world countries like where I come from.

Some weeks after CORVID-19, has hit most countries of the world, while major countries of the world already are shutting down their borders to avoid aliens into it’s dormitory, down here in west Africa, and Nigeria precisely, our borders are still like the wide spread legs of a woman in labor room, meanwhile our traveling politicians where already busy tabling a whopping sum of about #680 million naira to fight a virus that is yet to knock on the doors of Nigeria, “To fight the corona” they had said among themselves, that is minus the #200 million naira Dangote had donated to fight this virus, and till today, we can’t really say this is how the so called money has been spent, today when the borders are closed, I begin to wonder how, and why it took too long to curb this menace when the only reliable resource we have could have been put into use, “our common sense” What now baffles me even the more is how homestruck our traveling leaders have suddenly become.

It is true that countries like the USA, CANADA, UK, GERMANY, and others have shut her borders to prevent it, at the same time reimburse, their economy with financial assistance to those who in one way or the other have been affected by this plague, a fact is the $1000, made available for the US citizens at the orders of the Trump administration, and a good reduction on tax rates and urgent and emergency centers active enough to truly be called the Rapid Response Service. Now they will tell you this are developed countries, compared to Nigeria, but I tell you, if Nigeria currently ranked the fifth largest economy in the world can’t follow suite, instead reduced PMS price by #20, then doom seems around the corner in the lives of the citizens, who have been asked to stay at home.

When it finally came to Nigeria through Lagos, it could have not come in another way, if not the center of excellence, tragically the country has recorded its first casualty, a 67, year old man who came in from the UK, for medical check up, however, some of the preventive measures by the government seems the same as anywhere else in the world, reduction in gathering rates, restriction of religious gathering beyond fifty at first, and then now, twenty, finally in some countries maximum two, if it continues this way, then teleport may be the only form of communication, or even online chats, but is Nigeria really ready for strict measures as this, or if the already laid down aid is to go by, do we really have what it takes to keep the average man at home.

Before this virus, many Nigerians are already at home, too many fatalities of late, while the country is battling with the lassa fever, cancer, now Corona- which recognises not the rich nor the poor, the doors are now asked to be closed, a popular meme on social media once read, “Hunger kills more than 4000, children daily, and its vaccine is known, which is food, but the world and the media isn’t concern, do you know why? Because hunger doesn’t kill the rich” streamline this to Nigeria, and I tell you, Today’s Nigeria with their aggression would rather die by CORVID-19, than sit at home and die of hunger, except the government do what citizens wants it to do, something its overdue of doing. Those in powers go as far as remote areas to campaign and even share their few bags of rice during their election campaigns and manifestos, but are yet to do that in the case of this virus, yet we really want Nigerians to stay at home just to prevent further spread, let us hope it end any moment from now.

Earlier this month, on economic matters and reactions on CORVID-19, Nigerians reactions was pit against that of some countries, and while encouraging measures economically were on even here in some African countries, I heard one Nigerian minister, saying on national program and press statement saying that “Nigerians should be prepared for hardship” this was in reference to the fall of the global oil price, when other countries where following the flow of diversification on all levels. This is another lapse of leaders who have no foresight except for their ever greedy act and traits. Are we then saying that if this pandemic go on for many months to come, then the country would wreck into irrevocable mess, I pity myself and the people of my land.

To the market places I traveled, you begin to hear in the crowd, what would we eat, what would we drink, for the next one month or so, one Derica of rice now is #450, cooking oil which usually is just #100, now #200, in my country the truth is everything, whether good or bad is usually an opportunity to exploit each other. The trouble is, when would our stock not finish, judging by the trend this disease seems to be traveling. Nothing comes down after going up in Nigeria, aren’t we our problems after all. And then comes the Presidents’ awaited speech…

If it took about two months before the President of Nigeria could address the country about the pandemic, with various agitations, and anger in the voice and reactions of her people, would we still blame our woes to the fact that we are not fully developed as other countries who quickly and rapidly address their Nations and close their borders, in due time, or we face the fact that this politicians are suffering from moral laxity, not just them alone now, but even the so called elites and the Nigerian citizens as a whole. The media organisation of Buhari (BMO) Then came out to tell Nigerians that fighting the virus is even more important than the Presidents’ address, but I challenge them as well as we combat this menace in our own way, the people need confidence in the government of the day, which has been lacking for the past 5years.

Religious leaders also, with their now becoming vague ideologies, would rather have their offering and tithes not diminish in the face of one corona,rather than stay at home, this myopic view, has been seen on various social media, even as the order is restrictions ranging from twenty and above, some churches and mosque still believe the only place their creator would accept their prayers is in the prayer houses. Isn’t that hypocritical of man himself, Nigerians who are even more holier than the pope, Nigerians who knows more of the Quran even than the Arabian world, who has more churches than anywhere else in the world, yet their way of life depict it not. Would we really stay at home at this period of hunger?

When the president of the NMA (Dr Francis Faduyile) speaks about this, virus, I look back at the number of isolation centers we have, just three, Lagos with two and one other in the north or so, so tragic, the advisor on health issues to the current governor of Lagos state, she said all those who seems to be having symptoms should not bother to come down to the isolation center but rather stay home, this could have been as a reason for lack of enough man power, lack of sophisticated equipment to battle this virus, and even fear and panic of the stigma that comes with it. Those who have been to general hospital would understand better what I mean, with the attitude of some nurses and doctors there.

Now to Nigerians, the average Nigerians, who won’t eat unless they go out there to work, who don’t rely on the stipend being paid by the government of the day, those who have no place to lay their heads nor plough their lands, who would provide for them in countries where staying at home has being instructed as. Preventing measures, certain provision has already taken place, unlike here in Nigeria
So I ask one more time how long will Nigerians stay at home.