It Is A COVID-19 Goal! The Nigerian Political Elite… -By Loretta Oduware Ogboro-Okor

On January 7^th, 2021, my write up titled ‘Poverty! The Nigerian Prophylaxis for Covid-19’ generated mixed responses. Many questions were and are still being catapulted my way. Some of them genuine while others were cynical but all of them, I perceive as relevant. While I answered some questions, others I decided, no matter how tempting they were, need not invoke my response. Inquire not about why this was because the answer is lodged deep within the diva lobe of my brain which I regret to inform is currently deactivated. The task of enabling it at the expense of engaging my frontal lobe, is not one I can promise to embark on this evening.

“Was the article fact/research based?”, “Was it your opinion?”, “Why do you vent against the rich?”, “Loretta why won’t you let the poor carry the bag of the elites in peace?”, “Loretta, you almost succeeded in making us believe you belong to the other side of the divide”, “What is this writer’s problem with the rich, is it because she is poor, is it now a crime to possess money?”, “How can you preach such fallacy? Covid-19 is no respecter of status”, “The author of this piece just satirically exposed the problem with our ruling class. Will they ever learn?”

To all my readers, I give my sincerest thanks. Rest assured, I value every single comment and question. It is because of this that I must establish the fact I write from a background of being a trained researcher, a qualified medical practitioner with over two decades of experience, a formal student of Law and Criminology and an informal but life-long learner of Arts and Humanities. All such contextualities have and will continue to outline and infuse my work. The write up is doing exactly what it was intended to do: stimulating the needed discussions that will continue the drive for change in our beloved nation, Nigeria. Decide what and how it ministers to you, then build from and run with that angle.

It is with reference to this backdrop that I have, as of recent, observed how the Nigerian Political Elite have scored a goal in this unfolding Covid-19 match. A predictable one at that. In the words of Naira Marley, I guess one has to admit that even “a predictable goal, issa goal though?” The vaccine for Covid-19 has rolled out!  Bright, shiny, pointy and with the promise of hope! So where is Nigeria in the scheme of things? Our poor and religious are going about their life as usual, oblivious to the match going on. After all, they are protected by poverty and God – remember? They have been informed and then reassured that the country needs to patiently await her turn to procure the product that is the hard work from other nations. The labour for this vaccine was led in some cases by Nigerians, now adopted by other resource rich nations. It seems though as our aforementioned led players dribble on, that the rich have spotted the referees and bribed them to procure numerous free kicks. A pity too. I was rooting for team one.

Anyway, as said having carefully studied the dynamics of the Covid -19 playing field, the Nigerian Political Elite have decided to flex their wealthy-hypertrophied-muscles. Many are rushing abroad to get their Covid-19 vaccine in secret. Others have flung all modesty out of the window and subsequently embarked on the strenuous undertaking of doing so in full scale blockbuster movie productions directed by them. Let us hope, for their sake and ours that they are not unknowingly getting sterile injection water which vaccinates only their mind. Because my oh my, what a short and angst-ridden movie that would be? And the unscrupulous dealing does not stop there, it has come to my knowledge and from my experience, that even Western countries (the self-proclaimed referees of this morbid game) have alleyways and backdoor dealings too.

So it was, the players entered the field. Taking their shots one by one…literally.  First, we saw a certain, regular Presidential Aspirant smiling for the camera while being jabbed in one of the oil rich nations. Not to be overdone of course by one resident MVP – a First Lady, who sojourned to the Western world from Eastern Nigeria, accompanied by her camera crew, to get the vaccine. Maybe she got a designer vaccine, it is the only reason why the date of her second dose would be whispered out aloud for all of us to write in our diaries, if we so chose…perhaps so we can remind her.

If you think the rest of the Nigerian Political Elite are folding their arms and watching these producers of their self-directed films, then you are wrong. Just like the gods on Mount Olympus, there are hordes of them, working behind the scenes. Suddenly, the Nigerian Political Elite now understand how teamwork is dream work. What a motivator death is… So, they are pulling together their resources. They are going to privately order the vaccines. They desperately need to! How dare the poor beat them to or at anything? If you ask me, people are entitled to spend their money how they wish. Money answers things …. remember? Covid-19 vaccine procurement inclusive.

However, why should true leaders’ desert their people? Plot against the very people they expect to vote for them or that voted for them? There may be no legal violations? Or are there? However, there are numerous moral pitfalls and crimes against our shared humanity herein. Are Captains supposed to abscond from a sinking ship before the passengers and the rest of the crew are rescued? I suppose the true question is… are they and should they really be captains?  but that is for another match.

On the contrary, one could certainly argue that we need to protect our ruling class so they can keep ruling. If any of our octogeneric “rulers” (not leaders, mind you) goes to meet their maker at the behest of Covid-19, who would rule us? Political instability evidently does not bode well for pandemics. Does it not mean then, that we must protect them? Even if it requires swimming seven seas and crossing seven mountains? Or them pulling together private resources (should we say our commonwealth?) to get themselves the vaccine? A matter I leave your mind to ponder on.  Come on now, just because I am the author does not mean I have to do all the work.

Many of the rich Political Elite in Nigeria have scored a goal. They have scored it in a manner controlled by Freudian psychoanalytic theory of child development and consistent with their play tactics which is dominated by self, first. They are racing to get the vaccine abroad! It is either they import it, or they export themselves to get it. A tactful move indeed. However, has this goal turned the tide of the match? Are they now less obese? Do they see the need for exercise and are they now making the effort? Have they given up alcohol, smoking and fast food amongst others?  What choices are they making? Is our Government funding research in our Universities? Are they set to repent from the 4% budgetary allocation to our healthcare system?

In the final analysis, we are all players as well as simultaneous spectators watching the poor continuing in their painful blissful protection while the rich continues to anxiously scheme for themselves in this covid-19 match; time is now; venue; Nigeria. The score is 1:1 for now, but for how long?

Loretta Oduware Ogboro-Okor is author of the book, My Fathers Daughter.