Nigeria: Coronavirus and accountability

As of Thursday, information sourced from the World Health Organisation website showed that there were 465,915 confirmed cases of coronavirus, out of which 21,031 deaths were recorded across 199 countries.

 In Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said there were 42 confirmed cases in the country. A tweet from NCDC said, “As of 1pm on March 24, there were 42 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria – two discharged, one death.” Some very important personalities in the country also tested positive to the virus. They include the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and a son of the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The global economy has been impacted negatively due to the pandemic and it is predicted that the economy of many affected countries will go into recession, if not outright depression. Many manufacturing companies have shut down production. Some countries, such as Italy and Spain are on complete lockdown.  An international news report on March 18, 2020 says the International Labour Organisation warned that the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could cause the loss of up to 25 million jobs. In an initial assessment report of the impact of the novel coronavirus, the ILO said: “The effects will be far-reaching, pushing millions of people into unemployment, underemployment and working poverty.”

As of Monday, March 23, 2020, all federal public servants from Grade Level 1 – 12 were instructed to stay home. A circular signed to the effect by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, said all non-essential public servants on the grade levels must stay at home compulsorily from March 24, 2020. States such as Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun and Kaduna had earlier announced similar measures. Among other things, all international flights into the country were banned, with effect from midnight Monday, March 23.

Also, all schools, from primary to tertiary, have been shut down. Likewise, all land borders. Even railway services have been suspended. Many state governments have banned crowded social and religious gatherings and the likes.

As a further preventive measure, social distancing is encouraged. There will be no kissing, hugging or handshake. Thorough handwashing and use of sanitisers are also encouraged. Many companies in the organised private sector have asked their staff to work from home. The Nigerian Senate yesterday adjourned plenary till April 7, while the House of Representatives had adjourned plenary indefinitely. The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the lawmakers would only work on an economic stimulus bill to protect Nigerians and the economy against the impact of COVID-19, after which the House would shut down.

The worrisome thing about this pandemic is the fact that our public health system is in a very deplorable state. Imagine, yesterday, The PUNCH newspaper reported that coronavirus had spread to six states in Nigeria, with the fear that the infection could get worse. Highly-placed health workers have said the nation does not have up to 500 ventilators across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Medical supplies, especially test kits, sanitisers and protective gears for medical personnel, are all in short supply. There are only about five test centres nationwide, while contact tracing has been very difficult. This is why some people are calling for a lockdown on Lagos and Abuja.

The PUNCH also called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the country. It observed and submitted, among other things, that, “As coronavirus spreads, tragedy looms with the country having the highest tuberculosis burden in Africa and ranked sixth in the world. TB, cardiovascular, asthma, diabetes, kidney patients and those with other underlying chronic health conditions are most vulnerable to coronavirus. The elderly and people with severe chronic illnesses of any age, prolonged respiratory illnesses, autoimmune diseases and malignant diseases are seriously at risk of infection. This risk population should be made to observe self-isolation.”

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said the country requires N1.6bn in emergency funding to fight coronavirus. This was disclosed by the Deputy Director, Special Duties, NCDC, Dr Precillia Ibekwe at a briefing addressed by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Friday, March 20, 2020 in Abuja.

The richest man in Africa, Alhaji Aliko Dangote reportedly donated N200m to help fight this pandemic in Nigeria. The International Monetary  Fund has also announced that it will offer up to $50bn in emergency financing for countries stricken by coronavirus, while its Bretton Wood’s counterpart, the World Bank, has pledged to provide up to $12bn to boost countries’ response to the virus.

Last weekend, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, had at an extraordinary Bankers’ Committee meeting announced N3.5tn stimulus packages for the building of critical infrastructure, boosting of local manufacturing and production across critical sectors, among other packages aimed at cushioning the negative effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

Recall that some unscrupulous Nigerians have a penchant for profiting from the miseries of other people. A case in point are people pretending to help out in quenching fire outbreaks and using the opportunity to loot, just as some people rescuing accident victims steal from the victims. One would have thought funds meant to fight insurgency would be judiciously used and the welfare and well-being of troops fighting the insurgents and the internally displaced victims will be paramount in the hearts and minds of government officials in custody of the funds to take care of the situation. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. The former National Security Adviser, former Chief of Air Staff and former Chief of Defence staff are at present being tried for corruption and mismanagement of the funds meant to combat insecurity.

The earlier referenced The PUNCH editorial of yesterday said inter alia that “Nigeria has every reason to be deeply worried with its broken health care system. Nothing really works here, aided by official corruption, which erodes the little funds available for health services.”

It is for the aforementioned reasons that I am in agreement with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and well-meaning Nigerians who have urged President Muhammadu Muhammadu to instruct the anti-graft agencies, EFCC and ICPC, to monitor spending by federal agencies and state governments in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The donations and other funds received by the authorities saddled with coordinating the fight against this deadly disease must be fully accounted for. There must be no cutting of corners or misappropriation of resources. Full disclosures must be made, not of funds alone but confirmed cases, survivors and mortality. It will not help to publish doctored reports at this point.