Coronavirus and Palliatives
Coronavirus has undoubtedly dealt a massive blow on the world with over a million confirmed cases and over 54,000 deaths recorded globally.
As the nations across the world fight to not go on their knees, they rally around one another, providing help where needed. Nothing seems to be too small to share at this moment.
While all the countries are seeking help form their retired medical practitioners by requesting they come back to work, reach citizens are making donations. Many foreign organisations have been able to provide face masks, test kits, protective gowns, hand sanitizers, cash donations, among many others, to different countries across the world.
Nigeria is also having its share of this pandemic, with over 109 confirmed cases of Coronavirus cases. WIth rational fears that the spread could increase than what the government can handle, total lockdown was declared in several states, including the Nation’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
This lockdown has, however, unlocked things like hunger, loss of jobs, panic, poverty, to mention but a few. While governments at all levels clamour on social distancing and later to total lockdown, citizens shout of hunger and death of businesses.
In a bid to cushion the effect of this development, many politicians and business owners have come out with different shapes, sizes, and colours of palliatives.
We have heard of Federal Lawmakers donating part of their salaries to the fight against Coronavirus. Some on them, including state Lawmakers, have gone back to their constituencies to share food items, money, protective kits, among others.
Some other politicians aspiring to contest for political posts but have not made their intentions know are also coming out to show kindness. You can do a self-assessment of these kindnesses when you see the packagings.
State Governors who are seeking a second term in office are also making good use of this pandemic to make a statement. Political State holders who understand the importance of sponsoring palliative on behalf of their masters are not watching this pass them by.
That brings back to mind the scenes at the locations where items were shared before the 2019 general elections. While the politicians look for ways to crawl into the minds of the electorates, Coronavirus might have provided a more decent way.
Vote buying has been discouraged at all levels, but it might have just changed its name to Coronavirus Palliative. Let’s wait for campaigns and elections to return so that we can check if the faces of those who have distributed palliative now will appear on billboards.
By then, we can know if we have collected fees for our votes and then required to pay back by voting.
Are we really collecting palliative now to vote later?