Tuesday, April 07, 2020 / 09:37 PM / By Reuben Abati / Header Image Credit: BBC
"Social distancing is a privilege. It
means you live in a house large enough to practise it. Hand washing is a
privilege too. It means you have access to running water. Hand
sanitisers are a privilege. It means you have money to buy them. Lockdowns
are a privilege. It means you can afford to be at home. Most of the ways to
ward the Corona off are accessible only to the affluent. In essence, a disease
that was spread by the rich as they flew around the globe will kill millions of
the poor. All of us who are practising social distancing and have imposed a
lock down on ourselves must appreciate how privileged we are. Many...won't ve
able to do any of this" - Jayshree Shukla, India, March 22, 2020.
To the relief of many Nigerians who had
been inundated with conspiracy theories about the status and whereabouts of
President Muhammadu Buhari, and his level of involvement in the war against
COVID-19, the President, obviously in response to pervasive public opinion
addressed the nation in a televised broadcast on Sunday, March 29, more than a
month after the first index case in Nigeria was reported. As at the time of
that broadcast, the country already recorded 97 confirmed cases and 2 deaths.
This was a jump of more than 400% in one week. The numbers kept
increasing. Fear gripped the land. Whereas Africa had significantly low numbers
compared to the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths in Europe and the United
States, African countries faced a similar exponential rise in COVID-19 figures.
With the fragile health systems in Africa and shortage of medical personnel,
many African countries were compelled to ramp up their COVID-19 containment
measures. President Buhari's broadcast could not have been more auspicious: a
better late than never effort nonetheless. He provided an outline of
all the measures that had been introduced so far by the Nigerian Government to
stem the tide of COVID-19. He also announced additional measures to
protect livelihoods, businesses and the Nigerian economy.
There
were many grey areas in the President's speech, but it was obvious that the
government was going through a learning curve. How for example would Nigerians
access the cash transfers that was promised? Schools across the nation are all
on holiday, yet the President announced a school-feeding programme? Attempts
have since been made to either modify or clarify some of the grey areas. The
biggest of all the measures, and the most far-reaching is the announcement of a
cessation of all movements in Lagos, and Ogun states and the Federal Capital
Territory for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11 pm on Monday, 30th March
2020. "All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes." Food
processing, distribution and retail companies, petroleum distribution and
retail entities, power generation transmission and distribution companies,
media workers, seaports and private security companies were exempted. The
lock-down became effective as directed, except in Ogun State which asked to be
allowed to commence its own lock-down on Friday, April 3 to allow the people to
stock up on food and other items. President Buhari singled out Lagos, and the
FCT because these are the two areas with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, and
Ogun - because of its proximity to Lagos. As it turned out, state Governors
also took the initiative to either declare a curfew in their states or shut
down their borders. There has been a race to set up isolation centres across
the various states.
The
lockdown in Nigeria is meant to enforce social distancing, and to check the
spread of COVID-19, a measure that has been adopted globally to prevent persons
from transmitting the disease. But here in Nigeria, the lock down has done more
in terms of exposing and highlighting the character of our people, their
circumstances, the attitude of state agents and the socio-political
implications of the initiative. This has prompted calls for an African solution
to COVID-19, and the description of social or physical distancing as an
imported Western response. Africans by nature are communal; they are brought up
to imbibe the philosophy of "ubuntu": that is "I am, because we
are", and this is expressed in various forms: they eat together, indeed in many
cultures, out of the same plate or bowl. They are happier when they are in a
gathering either in the villages or in the cities. To ask an average African to
lock himself up at home could be an inversion of his social reality. Even if it
is possible for the mentally colonized middle and upper middle classes in
Africa to observe social distancing at home and outside, it is near-impossible
for the poor. The rich live in comfortable neighbourhoods, in flats, mansions
or duplexes with small household units of not more than 4 or 5 persons, the
poor live in slums and rural areas where they are huddled together in one room,
or a room-and-parlour, in a six or eight-room building occupied by probably
eight families, with each family having a minimum of six children, and all the
tenants have at best access to just one communal bathroom, one toilet, and a
well in the yard as source of water supply. In the rural areas, most families
live inside a small hut. It is probably better to disperse such persons than to
ask them to stay at home in the face of a communicable and deadly disease like
COVID-19.
Besides,
many Africans earn their living on a daily basis. They are farmers or fishermen
or traders who must go to work in the morning to survive. Sub-Saharan African
countries do not have social safety nets, the types that exist in developed
countries. In Nigeria, more than half of the population lives below the poverty
line. Over 40 million persons are unemployed or underemployed. They have no
access to food stamps or unemployment benefits. For these persons, life is a
daily struggle. Even the employed are either under-paid and over-worked and
their salaries and pensions are not paid as and when due. The other problem is
that not many Africans believe in science: they are committed to traditional,
superstitious beliefs: the animistic belief that there is no problem that
cannot be solved spiritually through witchcraft, sorcery or the use of herbs
and rituals, or the religious conviction that pastors and imams have the powers
to solve any human problem. Getting such persons to respect science is a
problem. In Osun State, for example, one Corona patient ran away from the
isolation centre. He had to be hunted down and brought back by security agents.
Poverty and ignorance complicate the people's situation. The worst part is that
the people do not trust their governments. This alienation between the people
and their leaders makes the management of COVID-19 in Africa far more
challenging.
By the
third day of the lock-down in Lagos State, the chickens had come home to roost.
On the first day, there was relative calm as people generally tried to obey the
stay-at-home order. On the second day, Lagosians had begun to complain, and
rebel. I saw young men on the streets, playing football. Or simply walking up
and down. On Wednesday, April 1, the Federal Government modified the directive
by declaring that shops and supermarkets could be open from 10 am to 4 pm, and
food markets from 10 am to 2 pm. It was a rather strange announcement because
there was nothing said about how people are supposed to access the shops and
supermarkets, since the ban on transportation was not lifted. What was meant to
be a form of relief for the people ended up fuelling their anger. In parts of
the country some state governments set up emergency food relief centres and
embarked on the distribution of food items. Private individuals and
non-governmental organisations also provided food and water in various places
which in principle is a demonstration of public-spiritedness, but the relief
efforts, public and private, were poorly co-ordinated.
The poor fell over each other to collect
packs of food or COVID food items, without observing social distancing.
Government officials in Lagos State ended up receiving condemnation rather than
praise. The people protested that they would rather be out on the streets to
seek their own food and survival. One woman, a mother of four, disclosed on
television that all she had left was N700, which is less than two dollars. The
President announced cash transfers but we have only seen some government
officials distributing raw cash. The Private Sector Coalition against COVID-19
and some individuals have raised as much as N19. 9 billion, but the poor people
of Nigeria are more concerned about the risk of part of the funds ending up in
the pockets of government officials.
Many
Nigerians remain in denial, both rich and poor. They don't understand why they
should be told to stay at home or maintain social distance. In Cross River
State, the Governor has made the wearing of facial masks compulsory for every
one in the state, with penalties for disobedience. It is a way of forcing the people
to realise that in these unusual times, health safety guidelines must be
obeyed. The people's reluctance to do so, has brought them in conflict with the
security agencies. On Friday, April 3, a strong-headed Muslim cleric decided to
hold evening prayers in Agege, Lagos in violation of the lockdown order. The
worshippers were dispersed by security agents. Market women who did not obey
the rules have also been forced to comply. On Sunday, April 5, the police
arrested a celebrity actress and her husband for staging a crowded house party
in Lagos. They have been charged to court and convicted.
The
only problem here is the high-handedness of the security agents. Rather than
help the people through persuasion and advice, they have for the most part
resorted to force. In Warri, Delta State, a soldier shot and killed a man who
allegedly refused to stop at a checkpoint when he was flagged down. In Lagos,
two soldiers in a recorded video that went viral, threatened to rape women and
infect them with HIV for daring to challenge the military. In Uyo, Akwa Ibom
State, a Police Sergeant assaulted and broke the arm of a medical doctor who
insisted he was out and about on essential duty. The situation is the same in
Uganda where security forces have been accused of excessive use of force. The
best way to save the people from themselves is not by killing or maiming them.
African governments must resist the temptation to use the excuse of COVID-19 to
further dehumanize the people. In Botswana, however, where a 28-day lockdown
has been declared, the people are complying without the security forces having
to enforce the order. Different scenarios in Africa depending on the level of
trust between the state and the people and the level of engagement. What is
important is that the enforcement of lockdowns must be strictly within the
ambit of the enabling laws.
State
authorities must be careful not to ignite a social crisis that may result in
riots and mass revolt. Rather than take advantage of the people, because of the
lockdown, security agencies should pay more attention to a likely rise in crime
and social unease. One woman was on television the other day to lament that
someone stole her pot of soup in the communal building where she lives. She had
left the kitchen briefly. By the time she returned, her pot of soup had
vanished! That is how it starts. For as long as the lockdown persists, without
sustainable support from government, people will steal food and other things in
order to survive. African leaders may end up paying a bigger price for
neglecting their people over the years and for failing to build strong
institutions.
Steps
should also be taken to stem the tide of infodemic, that is the alarming spread
of misinformation. On Saturday, while taking notes for this commentary, I was
bombarded with stories about how Corona Virus is linked to the 5G communication
technology. I learnt that 5G masts were already being destroyed in the UK by
angry citizens. Before I could investigate this any further, I received an
international call from a very jovial friend:
"My
brother," he said. "I greet you Coronally, Coronally".
"Ore,
compliments of the Corona season oh," I responded.
"A ku lockdown oh"
"I hope
you are good at your end. Please keep safe."
Then
all of a sudden I thought I heard something that sounded like a cough at the
other end. I didn't know when I threw my phone away on the bed. I had just read
about 5G and the internet of things (IOT) and the likelihood of a radiation
tsunami. What if it is true as alleged that viruses can travel
electronically?
"E ma
wa ko ba mi jare? If you know you have a cough, or you are
sneezing, don't call me on phone! It is not good to take chances with this
heartless COVID-19," I muttered.
The
truth has since been told about 5G by those who should know. It is not the
anti-Christ. It is not the Corona Virus. People are just so hysterical, one of
the ways they try to cope is to just make up stories perhaps to manage the
terror of time and uncertainty. Some Nigerians insist for example, that Nigeria
should not seek the assistance of Chinese medical experts or accept any
donations of test kits or ventilators from any foreign source. They think there
may be a covert attempt to turn Nigerians into guinea pigs. After all, two
French doctors - Jean-Paul Mira and Camille Locht - openly identified Africa as
the best testing ground for possible COVID-19 drugs. Race is a worrisome
dimension of the Corona Virus debate.
So is
the spike in cases of domestic violence and gender-based abuse. Lockdowns
ordinarily should strengthen filial relationships especially between husbands
and wives, but the opposite has been reported in France, the UK, Spain, the
United States... and even here in Nigeria. Self-isolation and social distancing
seem to be putting all relationships on trial. Even commercial sex workers have
registered their displeasure! On April 1, we forgot to play pranks. On Palm
Sunday, the churches opted for elegies, instead of odes. Our world is
unravelling.
Previous Posts by Dr. Reuben Abati
1. The Psychology of COVID-19 - Abati
2. Amotekun: The Politics of Protection - Abati
3. New
Electricity Tariffs: Questions by Reuben Abati - Jan 07, 2020
4. Omoyele
Sowore: Portrait of A Life in Protest - Abati - Dec 10, 2019
5. Of
Constituency Offices and Projects - Abati - Dec 03, 2019
6. The Supreme
Court and the Atiku Election Petition - Abati - Nov 05, 2019
7. The
Constitutional Crisis in Kogi - Abati - Oct 30, 2019
8. The Spiritual
Solution to Boko Haram - Abati - Oct 08, 2019
9. Oct 1: The
Journey So Far - Oct 01, 2019
10. Presidential
Powers and The Vice President - Sept 24, 2019
11. Nigeria,
Xenophobia and Ramaphosa's Apology - Sept 18, 2019
12. Mohammed
Adoke Writes Back - Sept 18, 2019
13. P and ID vs.
Nigeria: A Review by Reuben Abati - Sept 10, 2019
14. When Soldiers
Do Police Work: Disaster - Aug 14, 2019
15. Peter Drucker
And The Things That Changed
16. FBI, Nigerian
Fraudsters and Other Stories
17. P and ID vs.
Nigeria: A Review by Reuben Abati
18. When Soldiers
Do Police Work: Disaster
20. The Speech
Buhari Didn't Make
21. The People's
Revolt in Algeria and Sudan
22. The Obasanjo
Bombshell - Abati
23. Ogun 2019
Politics And Deployment Of Violence - My Encounter, Reuben Abati
24. Chief Anthony
Anenih: A Personal And Political Portrait
25. The "Oshiomhole Must
Go" Coalition
26. Beyond
Fayose: The Future Of Ekiti State
27. The
"Spirit Of Error" In Nigerian Politics