IN THE MIDST COVID-19: Nigeria Must Move On

By: Ike Anthony Abaelu

…time to drop Politics and embrace Policy.

It is no longer news that Corona Virus, aka COVID-19 Pandemic, has taken the world by the storm causing serious health and economic havoc without a reliable solution on sight. 

Personally, it is worrisome that few months after the outbreak of this disease there is no tangible and reliable solution identified by the experts to rapidly effect the cure hence leaving us with one option to accept our fate then plan on the way we can accommodate and live with this virus and move on with their lives. And to me that sounds defeating but what can we do? 

Moreover, there is a say that ”he that fights and runs away, may live to fight another day, but he, who is in battle slain, can never rise and fight again.” Aren’t we living with HIV? Life must go on.

Few days ago I read the interview the Nigeria Minister for Health granted to the press men, he acknowledged that there were plans on how Nigerians can move on after this lockdown period elapsed in the coming week but he also used the opportunity to roll out his fears too. 

According to him, they are preparing a policy that will make it compulsory for Nigerians to move around their business but only with nose masks and gloves and attach a stringent punishment for defaulters if we must live with our present situation and this brings me to my question; how prepared is Nigeria Government to handle this situation because historically we known as people who are not proactive in Nature.

My question is what plans does Federal Government have in place to revive the economy and keep it going to avoid Nigerians being frustrated into starting to eat one another, and as well as plans on how to keep our huge population safe and healthy from this Virus?

But this writer is optimistic that we are going to overcome this pandemic even though the future does not look so bright for us as a nation considering the fact that the source of our major earnings has badly been affected by the crash of crude oil price, therefore, we are left with no option than to look inward for solutions if we must overcome the economic crisis ahead.

Therefore call on the Nigeria Government to wake up and start working, this is not the time to dedicate all our strength and time to this war against Corona Virus, we have options before us, we had tried the lockdown and the result we are getting is shows it is not sustainable but we have other options we must explore to survive in this critical era. 

So I want to advise Federal Government to have an expanded Presidential Task Force on COVID-19; bring more EXPERTS, not POLITICIANS from all the sectors of the economy for a joint sitting to cushion a way out of this mess. They must sit together, discuss the challenges and the solutions together and give Nigerians a comprehensive blueprint dictating where we are at the moment and where we are likely going to be with or without COVID-19.

Ike Anthony Abaelu Writes from Lagos and can be reached on anthony.abaelu@gmail.com.