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You probably might have heard or read somewhere that some state governors in Nigeria are going ahead to relax the lockdown in their respective states to give room for religious activities to resume, even amidst the threats that Covid-19 figures are still increasing in Nigeria. You probably have read that governments, with more timely and stricter responses to the Coronavirus pandemic have been more successful in curtailing its spread.
I was reading just recently how New Zealand was able to manage the spread of Covid-19. It was nothing short of timely response and excellent leadership really. The government’s swift move to lock down the country when there had been no deaths and only a few hundred cases is what proactive leadership is all about. To think that Nigeria, after 288 cases, over 5000 people tested, 7 deaths recorded and a few people discharged (51); is not taking this matter seriously simply amazes me.
Maybe there is something that they are seeing that the rest of the populace isn’t really seeing. Maybe the issues of Covid-19 in Nigeria is not as serious as it is widely circulated and speculated. Maybe because a number of states are yet to record any case, that gives us the laxity to go about doing anything we feel like doing really. Nowhere in the world has lockdown been unsuccessful other than in Nigeria. Italy was and still is on total lockdown, same with France, with an extension probably in view; and some other places in the world where this pandemic have been greatly hit.
Nigeria’s lockdown was nothing short of a jamboree: Celebrities throwing birthday parties, people were busy on the streets carrying out their regular routine exercises and cars on the road like it’s some normal business day really. I believe the Nigerian version of the lockdown is not the best. The government did not take into consideration a number of people whose survival is on their daily wage. How do we expect these group of people to survive a 14 day complete lockdown? No incentive, no food palliative from the government. Their cash transfer program did not go round as expected. So, it is actually expected if a full lockdown is not working in Nigeria.
However, the decisions of those state governors to go about relaxing a lockdown so that religious activities can hold in this period is absolutely uncalled for. It does not show that we are serious in tackling this pandemic. For example, a statement from the Vatican concerning this year’s Holy Week reads: “All the Liturgical Celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful,’’ according to a statement from the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household.
In a statement from Pope Francis himself, he said: “In this epidemic situation, in which we find ourselves living more or less isolated, we are invited to rediscover and explore the value of communion that unites all members of the Church. United with Christ we are never alone, but we are a single body.’’ But in Nigeria, where we are more religious than the Pope, we believe we cannot unite with Christ without us gathering physically.
In a nation where only 5000 or more people have only been tested amidst hundreds of thousands of people yet to be tested, it is absolutely dangerous to associate in whatever religious gathering that would not give room for adequate social distancing. This is where President Muhammadu Buhari should wake up and sanction such violations by these state government and step in as the leader that he is. But, he has remained docile since day one of this pandemic in Nigeria. He has only addressed the nation once, and I even doubt he is aware of what the state of things are in the nation right now.
Leadership is about knowing better. And knowing better puts the leader in the position to act swiftly in matters of urgency. When we see leaders behave contrary to this norm, then it means something is fundamentally wrong somewhere. This is the time Nigeria should rise and do the right thing. Enough of playing politics with Covid-19, let every state government support the federal government’s effort through NCDC and the ministry of Health in ensuring that this pandemic is kicked out of Nigeria.
This is the time that we must collectively kick against those states that are about to go against every rule of this lockdown. If they aren’t going to comply, I think the president should step up and do the needful. But of course, the president is a religious man as well. One can only hope if any leadership will be shown in days or weeks to come on this matter. But in the meantime, I think Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb concerning this matter.
Only time will tell.
