There is always lesson about every bad or unpleasant situation, hence the need to look into critical lessons for Nigerian Government given the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic which has been hitting hard at almost every sector in the country.
Nigeria confirmed its first case in Lagos State on 27 February when an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria returned from Milan, Italy through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Also, on 9 March, the second case was confirmed on a Nigerian citizen in Ewekoro, Ogun State who had contact with the Italian citizen.
However, the federal government had to declare lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Ogun and Lagos state to curtail the further spread of the virus, thereby halting Nigeria’s economy and many other activities.
Critical Lessons For Nigerian Government
Health Sector Needs Urgent Attention
Without mincing words, one of the sectors that people turn to during the Coronavirus all over the world is the health sector as health workers put in their best to save the lives of people infected with the virus.
Before the first case in the country, many people have expressed concern over the state of the health facilities, alas, the virus finally entered Nigeria, and the fear people had earlier expressed came to reality.
Health facilities and workers in the country need urgent and critical attention to deliver effective services for Nigerians in a time like this when other countries have shut their doors against foreigners to curtail the spread of the virus.
A few days ago, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha was under severe criticism over a comment he made on the health sector.
Mustapha, who is the chairman of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19 said he never knew that infrastructure meant to cater for the well-being of Nigerians was not in good shape.
He said “I can tell you for sure, I never knew that our entire healthcare infrastructure was in the state in which it is. Until I was appointed to do this work.”
A statement like this is a pointer to the fact that many things are wrong with the nation’s health sector thereby drawing government’s attention to fix the industry and look into the welfare of health officials in the country.
Also, many people condemned the decision to invite fifteen Chinese doctors to help with the supervision of health workers who are treating COVID-19 patients in the country despite opposition from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other professional bodies.
Meanwhile, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Garba Abari clarified that the Federal Government did not import Chinese medical experts to directly take charge of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Clarifying misconceptions generated, Abari said the 18-man Chinese medical team were only invited to share experiences with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), considering that China has already fought the disease.
The need for accurate Database
Coronavirus outbreak has revealed that Nigeria has no accurate database that could cater to its citizens in a situation like this, whereby many people have to stay at home for their safety.
When President Muhammadu Buhari declared lockdown in Abuja, Ogun and Lagos state, one of the questions many people asked is “How will government cater for people who earn a living from daily jobs.”
Some people even pointed to how other developed countries around the world reached out to their citizens via their Database without asking them to come out or line up to get any palliative.
Individual Bank Verification Number, (BVN) is one of the means of reaching out to Nigerians to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus outbreak thereby making it easy for many to obey the lockdown order to allow social distancing.
Though, the minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq and Minister for information and Culture, Lai Mohammed claimed that over 100 billion Naira had been disbursed as palliative.
Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) called for a forensic investigation into the activities of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Crisis Management for neglecting the BVN and distributing cash to some people as palliative.
Alarming Rate of Hunger in the land
The robberies and different attacks in some parts of Lagos, Ogun state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is a clear indication that there is so much hunger among Nigerians.
It is glaring that many Nigerians feed on hand to mouth before the outbreak, while many also rely on their daily jobs to feed their families.
Therefore, in a time like this when people are advised to stay at home, some people will likely get involved in robberies and other social vices to cater to their needs.
With the level of hunger in the land, it is high time for the Nigerian government to look into tackling the high rate of poverty and concentrate on growing the economy such that will give room for its citizens to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
In a situation whereby the government provides social amenities, an outbreak like this Coronavirus will have minor effects on the daily feeding of its citizens for the fact that they would not need to pay for certain things hence reducing the pressure on them.
Coronavirus, COVID-19 outbreak should be a blessing in disguise for Nigerians if the people at the helms of affairs in different states of the federation and the country at large could pay attention to the critical sectors that demand urgent care.
