By Obbu
#Nigeria
I am a Nigerian and truly love my nation. I grew up in the 70s and early 80s in a nation where majority depended on public utilities. This piece is not about the past thus I won’t waste your time for the reason (s) how we currently have public service providers that have become heavy burden on our head.
In March 2020, the nation became fully aware of the coronavirus whose rate of infection necessitated WHO to declare it a pandemic. I personally think our leaders don’t understand the meaning of the word pandemic – the worldwide spread of a new disease. The response of our government is the basis of this write up.
A pandemic requires health emergency to be at its highest level. This brings to question what emergency protocols are in place before now with regards to pandemic or any other public health issue.
The Emergency Protocol enables prompt and effective responses to emergency situations.
The Emergency Protocol includes qualified personnel, specific actions to be undertaken in
response to different emergency situations and reporting requirements.
I must state clearly before now, I have not read or heard of any emergency protocols in Nigeria. The response to any emergency in most cases is mostly reactive instead of proactive. Unfortunately COVID-19 is not just the usual emergency, the response to it needs to two steps ahead of any likely possibility it will bring.
In my country Nigeria, public utilities and our health infrastructure is at a poor level to put it mildly. For the purpose of clarification public power is no longer epileptic it has become deceased in some parts of the nation. Water supply is mostly “user-provided “. The average primary health care center has become a town hall meeting venue due to many factors – inadequate equipment, shortage of manpower and medical supplies to meet the needs of the people.
Our leaders over the years ( our 60th Independence anniversary is this year) turn the nation to a consumer nation – at a point we imported toothpick. The persistent power problem dealt a massive blow to the manufacturing sector.
Demographic analysis is not available to enable us to project and bring up different scenarios with possible solutions. I have a feeling the cows in the country have a better package than her citizens.
Over time statements that suggests any present regime has done far exceeding and above previous ones. This one statement that makes me wonder if our milestone for development is in the past.
Currently we are been stalk by coronavirus and all we have as response is God will have mercy on us. I smile because God’s mercy is available to everyone . The response I see from other climes makes my heart heavy – a 4000 bed capacity built in 9 days while almost two weeks into our lockdown we are still struggling to set up isolation centers in already built facility
Clearly we have failed as a nation, the question now is are we going to continue like this? Our lawmakers I am asking, professional bodies I am asking, my fellow Nigerians I am asking.
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