Responses Of Nigerian Government On COVID-19 And Their Implications On Civil Liberties -By Abdulwasiu Mujeeb

The news was broken in late February 2020, after Nigeria’s NCDC announced the first confirmed case of the coronavirus disease. The confirmation led to the activation of the country’s National Coronavirus Emergency Operation Centre. Albeit the activation of the centre, Nigerian government responsiveness was not farfetched until more series of convid19 cases poured in dramatically through Lagos.

Nigeria’s quick mobilization of resources and proactive response started with the massive awareness and update from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Then movement restrictions and lockdown being a major part of the situational response followed suit. To ensure clarity in this entry, recourse will be made below in detail as to some responses of the Federal government and how it had implicated freedom and civil liberties.

Responses Of Federal Government To Covid-19

In the address of President Muhammadu Buhari addressed to the country on March 29 2020, he had directed a total lockdown in the three epidemic centre of the nation, Lagos, Abuja and Ogun state for an initial period of 14 days. The lockdown which by direct implication restricted movement of citizens, interstate travels, businesses and daily feeding of many individuals.

Albeit the instruction, some exceptions were provided. Medical-related and hospital services, including health organizations and pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies were exempted. Food-related commercial establishments and retail distribution companies, petroleum and power generation, transmission companies. Telecommunication companies and broadcast workers who are able to prove their inability to work from home. Lagos located seaports and vehicles conveying essential cargoes from the seaports to other states on condition that it will be screened before departure by the Ports Health authority. In turn, following those directives, the President emphasized the government’s drive to distribute relief materials to communities that will be affected by the restrictions.

However, giving this directive a legal structure is a signature of the President on Monday, 30th March 2020, to the Federal Government’s COVID-19 Regulations of 2020 which labelled the virus as a dangerous infectious disease with which violators will be prosecuted.

As also a response, further regulations were also instituted authorizing suspension of payments of loans implemented through Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture and the Nigeria Export-Import Bank. And to allow Nigerians access to online banking services, monetary and financial institutions are exempted from the lockdown to run gaunt services.

Implications Of Responses Of Federal Government To Covid-19 On Civil Liberties

The overwhelming effects of these measures have been felt nationwide. It is obvious, lockdown will add to the hardship of millions of Nigerians living hand-to-mouth, often on less than one dollar a day.

Though the government has promised a series of support measures to ease the financial difficulties for the most vulnerable, the widespread complaints which is a circumstantial truth is that not enough will be done by these palliatives for those facing hunger. The vast majority of Nigerians depend on daily wages, they have to go out to get money and buy food to put it on the table for their families.

Moreover, looking at the legal angle of this Implication, the British jurisprudence which gives Nigerian constitution some emulations required that no member of the executive can interfere with the liberty or property of a British subject except on the condition that he can support the legality of his action before a court of justice.

Furthermore, a fundamental human right expressly stated and granted by the section 41 of the 1999 Constitution cannot, in reality, be bashed out by assumption as the Quarantine Act of 2004 itself has no provision for the restriction of the movement of any citizen.

According to the act itself, it campaigned for the isolation and care of victims of infectious diseases for the purpose of isolating them away from interacting with other members of the public. And generally, an act enacted for the benefit of those not infected by any disease cannot and should not be twisted to restrain them.

But consequently, any means which may serve or will prove efficacious in easing the hazards of the moment must be endured and ought to be considered within the edge of what is in jurisprudence. Government at all levels must note that reasonable palliatives and strategies must be strategised to compensate for individual injuries.

Abdulwasiu Mujeeb Idowu is a final year student of Law at Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto. He can be reached via mujeebabdwasiu@gmail.com or 07031069380