The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has expressed its strong opposition to the extension of the ongoing lockdown imposed by the federal and some state governments in Nigeria.
The party disclosed its aforementioned stance in a press statement signed by the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Falalu Bello, OFR and made available to newsmen Monday in Abuja.
The party also made it clear that as long as its demand for the review of the ongoing lockdown is not met, its next line of action will be heading to court to know whether governments have the right to lock citizens up without feeding them.
The full statement reads:
“At the expense of repeating ourselves, we in the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) would want to again say that the continued lockdowns being ordered by Governments in Nigeria are not and would not in themselves be solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even where we copied the lockdown strategy from, the Western world with all their sophistication and resources, they use lockdowns along with other strategies to achieve results.
The continuous increase in the Covid-19 infections since lockdowns were ordered by some Government show that lockdowns have not prevented community infections. The increase in infections despite the lockdowns should inform our policy makers that lockdowns with attendant economic costs, are not working and need serious re-examination.
Social distancing which lockdowns bring in the Western societies as well as elite settlements like Ikoyi Lagos, Anguwan Rimi Kaduna, Asokoro Abuja, as we have said in our earlier Press releases will not work in our towns and cities where over 90% of Nigerian population live. In such settings, tens of families stay in “face me I face you” rooms with one or two toilets and at times no running water. That is our reality which informed our stand in earlier press engagements.
Notwithstanding the futility of lockdowns as a solution to Covid-19 pandemic as opined by the PRP and some informed commentators, our Governments and policy makers are still insisting on that policy with greater draconian enforcement rules as we saw recently.
In response, even if for the records, we in the PRP find it necessary to still speak and suggest these measures so as to ameliorate the hardship that the Talaka in Nigeria is being put into:
a) Making Testing Available to All
We are all conversant with the social media, have heard of the distress call of the 70 year old grandmother from Abuja who lost her son-in-law to Covid-19 in Kano and her desperation to get her daughter and grand children tested. Her experience is the experience of almost all persons in Nigeria (with the exception of Lagos) save the top echelons of the Federal and State Governments because of the near absence of Testing Centres in Nigeria.
In a nation of 200 million, there are only 8 Testing Centres in 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and not all of these 8 are functional. This explains why not more than 10,000 are reported to have been tested despite the lockdowns across the nation.
The lack of testing facilities in the nation must be addressed if any meaningful achievement is to be recorded in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic. It is indeed a shame that a nation as rich as Nigeria has failed to provide at least a Testing Centre per Senatoral District when all it takes to set up a Molecular Ward with all equipments is N35million (Thirty five million naira) only which each of the 774 Local Governmnets can actually afford.
As this cost is affordable, the PRP loudly request the Federal Government in the next 45 days to build a Molecular Ward in all the 97 Senatorial Districts of Nigeria to be scaled up to 774 in all the Local Governments in the next 180 days, all at the expense of the Local Governments so as to have uniformity of standards and enjoy economy of scale. This is doeable, affordable and must be done if we are serious as a nation and we urge all State Governments to pursue and support this instead of barking orders and flexing muscles as if we are in a Military Government.
b) Fair Distribution of Palliatives
Many Nigerians inclusive the PRP have informed President Muhammadu Buhari of the failure of the Ministry of Humanitarian Services and Disaster Manangement (Min of HS & DS) to fairly distrubute the N20,000.00 to 2.6million Nigerians the Ministry has claimed to have done.
The PRP on this has called on Mr President to order a probe of the Ministry with a view to firstly ascertaining the claim that such has happened, secondly knowing who benefited, and, thirdly as important ascertain the capacity of the Ministry to discharge its mandate. This is to ensure that future distribution is timely and equitably done but the call has been ignored which explains why the impact of the 70,000 tons of grains and other paliatives ordered to be distributed, has not been felt in the nation. Mr President, the need for the called probe is still there and we repeat same today.
As the extension of lockdowns have already started, the PRP would want to remind all those ordering the extensions of their responsibilities of feeding all those they have ordered to be locked up particularly those that don’t have the means of sustenance. It is morally, nay legally wrong in accordance with some Scriptures to lock up anyone without providing such a person with sustenance.
If governments can not provide for sustenance for the people they are locking up, they have no moral right to lock them up just because the Quarantine Law gives them the right to order quarantine. If sustenance is not provided for the citizens locked up, the PRP will go to Court on behalf of the Nigerian Talaka to test whether the Governments have the right to quarantine anyone without feeding him.
c) Absence of Meaningful Exit Strategy
We have pointed out in our earlier press releases that the lockdowns have some serious economic consequences. In the extension speeches we have so far heard,all we hear are extensions of the lockdowns as well the serious consequences of disobeying the orders with no mention at all of the exit strategies of the lockdowns.
Yes, it is excusable out of panic to order for lockdowns on the assumption that it is the only way-out but it is inexcusable for Governments to lock down the economy for months now without examining the consequences of such lockdowns and how to ameliorate the consequences of such locdowns on our businesses: big and small.
Small and Medium sized businesses are already dying because of the lockdown and agriculture which is the main stay of the economy and the biggest contributor to the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product is likely to suffer serious negative consequences, yet all the speeches we hear or read are just muscle flexing and show of power, lacking of how the economy will be revived.
Mr President has ordered for emptying of the grains strategic reserve and the population itself is eating its reserve of 2019 production. The question here is how do we replenish the reserves we are eating when planting season has come and lockdown extension are being ordered?
Agriculture in Nigeria is almost exclusively rain fed and the rains have started and plantings have not started and no one has come out to tell the nation how it will overcome this challenge as the concern of all is we should stay indoors.
The Covid-19 strategies we have copied and pasted have exit strategies from their lockdowns so as to reduce the extent of the damage on their economies. Here, we have simply copied the lockdown strategies and abandoned how to exit from lockdown and its negative consequences on our economies.
It is weeks since lockdowns have been ordered and it is high time the Federal and State Governments started to intelligently draw up an informed and workable exit strategy out of the mess the nation and the economy have entered into. In doing this, the Federal Government should also address the border closure which has been on for a long time. We strongly urge for such examinations expeditiously.
Conclusion
We will end this press release by restating our opposition to lockdowns of the nation and its sub economies as currently practised and refer all to our Press Release of April 13th, 2020 where we detailed our alternative strategy to contain Covid-19 which we maintain even today with only an addition namely, wearing of hand gloves by citizens while going out in addition to masks as that is cheaper than continuous sanitisation.
Finally, we urge that our three views be taken into account in rewriting the Covid-19 pandemic strategy which need urgent rewriting for the benefit of Nigerian Talaka and in the interest of Nigerian economy. As for providing sustenance to those locked up, we demand for such or else we will meet with all those tyrants that lock our citizens up without sustenance. “
