The coronavirus otherwise called Covid 19 took the whole world by storm sending not a few to their graves, as it menacingly ravaged the globe without any clear-cut solution in sight. Even the advanced and well-developed countries were all helpless, running from pillar to post; working relentlessly to salvage the horrendous situation. Up till this very moment, there is still no silver lining in the horizon and many more humans are mercilessly wasted away. However, it is important to take a look at the way and manner the rampaging pandemic has being managed in Nigeria under the present administration. In the first place, it is very important to observe the synergy amongst all the tiers of government as well as the well-coordinated inter-government relations amongst various agencies, department and ministries of government in the different tiers of government; including the contributions of the organised private sector, individuals, corporate organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional groups, religious bodies etc. the way the pandemic has killed severally people across the world, it will not be too much to say that the Nigerian government has performed creditably well in the circumstances it found itself, even with the quick provision of isolation centres and necessary accessories as well as manpower; the daily briefings, the constant updates, the lockdown, social distancing, use of face mask and hand gloves, the only area where there seem to be some challenges is getting palliatives across to the needy and most vulnerable, which government had since fine-tuned to get the appropriate strategy to meet this plan of action.
On 9 March, the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, established a Presidential Task Force for the control of the virus in the country. The Nigeria Football Federation also suspended all football activities for four weeks. On 19 March, Anambra State government announced the closure of their schools and suspension of public gatherings indefinitely, tertiary institutions to close from 20 March, while primary and secondary schools to close from 27 March. The Ogun State government also extended their previous ban to schools and religious centres in the state indefinitely. The Nigerian government also announced the closure of tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools in the country. Enugu State government also ordered the closure of all primary and secondary schools in the state from 27 March. Nigeria also announced the closure of their international airports, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Kano airports from 21 March. The Rivers State government also announced the closure of all their schools and directed the restriction of all religious activities. Osun State government also banned any public gatherings of more than 50 persons in the state with immediate effect, including schools, churches and mosques.
The National Center for Disease Control said on Twitter that the government suspended the visa issuance on arrival for travellers from these countries. “All travellers returning from these countries prior to the restriction will be supervised in self-isolation, monitored by the National Center for Disease Control and Port Health Services,” it said. In the West African country with 36 states, at least 10 states — including the commercial capital Lagos where the index case was recorded — announced Wednesday night the closure of schools to stem the spread of the virus. “As part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Lagos State Government is closing down all public and private schools from Monday, 23rd March 2020,” Folashade Adefisayo, state commissioner for education, said. She called the move “necessary against the pandemic” and urged the parents to ensure that their children practise social distancing while at home, wash their hands regularly or use hand sanitizers and observe high standards of personal hygiene. “The closure is not intended to create panic but to prevent the spread of disease which has become a global threat,” Adefisayo said.
Meanwhile, no religious centre with over 50 congregants will open for service in Lagos. All the seven northwestern states and at least two in central Nigeria announced similar measures. The country also ordered immediate closure of camps for the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps which is attended by hundreds of thousands of graduates who just concluded their studies in universities and polytechnics. “Across the country, the orientation camps will be closed and Youth Corps will be paid and sent to their places of primary assignment,” Sunday Dare, minister of sports and youths development, said in a tweet.
The CBN boss said: “Very much like we have seen in the past, food is often one of the immediate causalities of any catastrophe on the African continent. The reason is not far-fetched, a sizeable proportion of the population is food poor. “Africa is not winning the war against acute hunger and malnutrition. Food insecurity and malnutrition plague the lives of millions across the continent.’’
According to the 2019 Global Report on Food Crises, Africa remains dis-proportionally affected by food insecurity with more than half of the global 113 million, 58 per cent to be precise acutely food-insecure people living in 33 countries in Africa. “Here is the irony, Africa holds 65 per cent of the world uncultivated arable land, particularly its vast 400 million-hectare savannas which are the world’s largest agriculture frontier. “The continent of Africa should have no business with food insecurity. Regrettably, its agriculture continues to be vulnerable to climate-related shocks, disease, weak input supply chains, conflicts and economic shocks.” “Disturbingly, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has predicted that Africa could add 38 million hungry people to the world’s number of hungry people by 2050 due to climate change,” he said.
Emefiele said that unlocking the huge potential of agriculture must, therefore, be at the heart of any meaningful engagement on the economic and social development of the continent. He said the region had the capacity and must become the food basket for the world, rather than a net importer of food. Emefiele said the importation of food by the continent was unacceptable, saying that Africa spends $35 billion on the importation of food annually according to report by the African Development Bank (AfDB). According to him, the continent must urgently develop policy measures around building what has been termed grey matter infrastructure in Africa to end the scourge of malnutrition.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari only recently set up a Presidential Task Force to spearhead the campaign against the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria. The task force, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, was in response to the potential effects of the pandemic on healthcare services in the country and the economy. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the task force would coordinate multi-sectoral actions in the event of an escalated outbreak.
The statement reads: “Given the current global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus and its potential of causing significant disruption to health services in the country as well as impacting negatively on the economy, President Muhammadu Buhari has established a Presidential Task Force for the Control of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). “This action is in preparation for the unlikely but probable major outbreak of the disease in the country which will require a multi-sectoral inter-governmental approach as advised by WHO similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades. “The start and finish task group is expected to deliver within a maximum of six months.”
Recalled also that, despite several attempts at diversifying the national economy, oil remains the mainstay of the Nigerian economy contributing about 90 per cent of the annual revenue, hence, it is worthy to note that, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has marked down its global oil demand growth in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak from 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) to 480,000 bpd. The Organisation is also proposing to cut oil output by 1.5 million barrels per day if its non-OPEC allies led by Russia agree to the proposal, which will be presented to the 8th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial meeting. If the proposal sails through, OPEC members will cut production by 0ne million barrels per day while non-OPEC allies will cut production by 500,000 barrels per day. This was disclosed this at the 178th extraordinary meeting of the Conference of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries held in Vienna, Austria.
The oil cartel noted that the COVID-19 outbreak has had a major adverse impact on global economic and oil demand forecasts in 2020, particularly for the first and second quarters adding that the global oil demand growth in 2020 is now forecast to be 0.48 million barrels per day (mbpd), down from 1.1 mbpd in December 2019. Moreover, the unprecedented situation, and the ever-shifting market dynamics, means risks are skewed to the downside, the group said, noting that the further impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on oil market fundamentals necessitates further continuous monitoring.
The Conference commended all OPEC Member Countries, as well as non-OPEC countries participating in the Declaration of Cooperation, for their continued commitment to achieving and sustaining balance and stability in the market. Member Countries reaffirmed their continued focus on fundamentals for a stable and balanced oil market, in the interests of producers, consumers, and the global economy. The Conference emphasized the ongoing dialogue with consuming countries, and the consultations undertaken in a collegial spirit before reaching decisions. Member Countries are resolute and committed to being dependable and reliable suppliers of crude and products to global markets. The Conference confirmed that its next Ordinary Meeting will convene in Vienna, Austria, on 9 June 2020, and noted that September 2020 will mark the 60th Anniversary since the founding of OPEC in Baghdad in 1960.
Similarly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to provide $50 billion to help low income and emerging market countries deal with the coronavirus outbreak. According to the global lender, the amount will be raised through a rapid-disbursing emergency financing facility and $10 billion of it will be available at zero-interest for the poorest members. Speaking about the rapid spread of the disease, IMF’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said over one-third of the fund’s member countries were directly affected. “This is no longer a regional issue, it’s a global problem calling for a global response,” she stressed. Georgieva explained that one-third of the economic losses from the COVID-19 outbreak would be direct costs such as loss of life, workplace closures, and quarantines. Two-thirds, she added, would be indirect, including impacts on consumer confidence, business behaviour, and financial markets. “The good news is that financial systems are more resilient than before the global financial crisis. However, our biggest challenge right now is handling uncertainty,” Georgieva said. She added that global growth in 2020 would be below last year’s level.
“How far it will fall, and for how long, is difficult to predict and would depend on the epidemic, but also on the timeliness and effectiveness of our actions,” the IMF chief noted. The World Bank announced $12 billion as an immediate intervention for countries coping with the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, last December and has now spread to over 75 countries, with the global death toll estimated at 3,500 and more than 92,000 confirmed cases. The World Health Organisation (WHO), which had declared the outbreak an international health emergency, has updated the global risk level to “very high”.
Moreover, the Federal Government released N 386 million to two health agencies to strengthen Coronavirus (COVID 19) preparedness in Nigeria. Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Abdulaziz Mashi Abdulaziz, disclosed this to newsmen while providing updates on the preparedness for Coronavirus and Lassa Fever in the country, recently in Abuja. Abdullaziz noted that the amount was released by the government in two batches. “While the first batch of N71 million was released at the end of January to facilitate activities of the Port Health Services department of the ministry, the second was released after the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the government had budgeted N 620 million to curtail the virus from entering Nigeria when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Health. “It is true that intervention was sought from the presidency and the Ministry of Finance and Budget Planning. This is because of the level of the emergency. I can confirm to you that N 71 million was released to the Port Health Services division of the (health) ministry. “The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was also given N 315 m directly. Other requests are in the pipeline and yet to be released,” he said.
Healthcare in Nigeria is run by the three tiers of government. The federal government is responsible for tertiary healthcare, which involves coordinating the affairs of the University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres while the state government manages secondary healthcare, which involves managing general hospitals. And lastly, the local government is responsible for primary healthcare, which are regulated by the federal government through the National Primary Health Care Developing Agency (NPHCDA).
There is no doubt that the federal government in league with other tiers of government in the country are working round the clock to ensure that the rampaging coronavirus does not spread like wildfire in the dry season in the country.
By Jide Ayobolu
