By Hammed J. Sulaiman
It all started like a magic – an alien virus flying down to the hither land of Africa, but before then, are our governments deaf by eye to see the reality of the virus? Or are our governments on assignments to curb it from outside rather than inner?
Not until the virus has it root in Africa that African governments woke up to reality; not until when the World Health Organisation (WHO) has on March 11 described the virus as pandemic outbreak, that African countries resulted in fears – perhaps, because of their weak healthcare systems and then started bracing for the worse.
Nonetheless, it came to Africa successfully, unlike many other diseases that had plagued the world, like a wind; it penetrates Africa – traveling faster like a missile. So far so bad, Africa is now in a wrestling bout with the virus! This, indeed has however proved the inefficiency of so many African governments especially at the instance of their citizens.
Coming down to Nigeria, the Federal Government has took string measure of locking down three major States in Nigeria while recently, State Governments recommended a national lockdown for another two weeks in addition to the almost elapsing four-week lockdown to that of Lagos, Abuja (Federal Capital Territory) and Ogun State to deal with the pandemic. The burning question is, has there been adequate measures for the welfare and well-being of the people?
It has been reported across the country that thousands of informal workers and small-scale entrepreneurs in Nigeria, have been rendered jobless as the lockdown continues in different parts of the country, which is making them to be counting their losses as the government (fails to) struggles to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
The extension of lockdown is yearning for frustration, violence and unrest as hunger-virus is the master of all viruses! There is no gainsaying that there are some people who rely on daily income to feed themselves and their families, what then can we say is their fate, now?
Though, there has been palliative outreach across the country by some state governments cum philanthropists but findings by this writer reveals the way and manner it is being done – tantamount to further spread the virus as there is no compliance; no measure put in place to make people comply, no due process – fighting and struggling for palliatives which can be called “survival of the fittest”. No CONFIRM “godo-godo”in CONFIRM khaki to make people comply. Nothing like DOOR-TO-DOOR agents, no agents at all but chains of agents of cheat at some distribution centres!
Can we then say, the mirage of citizens’ liberty not to go for their daily earnings plus illusionary lockdown by our government is giving birth to insufficient food items (palliatives) being distributed to the citizens? Or is poli-trick in politics taking place and favouring sides?
Dear Nigerian government, dear African governments, people are fuming as hunger bites harder – it would be okay to recall some of your steps that can birth violence and put in measures that would maintain peace, love and liberty in line with containing the spread of the virus… For this, would not make ‘Things Fall Apart”to turn to “No Longer At Ease”.
Hammed J. Sulaiman is a student of Law from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. He is a Nigerian Writer, Poet, Essayist and also a Local Coordinator at Students For Liberty, a Non-Profit Large Libertarian Organization.
He can be reached through:
sulexmighty@gmail.com
+2348132953960
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
