Buhari’s balancing act on COVID-19

“ …in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters and the Nigeria Governors Forum, I have approved a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective from Monday, 4th May, 2020. However, this will be followed strictly with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors”

— President Muhammadu Buhari in his third broadcast on COVID-19 on Monday, April 27, 2018.

There has been a raging debate as well as speculations on what will be the key decision of the President when he eventually addressed the nation after a month-long lockdown of Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory. The argument is between two schools of thought. There are those who believe that rather than unlock the areas where there has been shutdown of activities, the entire country should actually be placed under a total lockdown. The rationale being that there is now community transmission of the coronavirus pandemic leading to a spike.

On the other hand, some have argued that a sustained and prolonged lockdown will be counter-productive. They cite insufficient palliatives, job loses, lack of sufficient test kits and rise in insecurity.

Well, at exactly 8pm last Monday, the President laid all the raging arguments to rest. In his third address to the nation on COVID-19, he gave an update on what had been done from the last time he addressed us on April 13 and what the next steps would be.   In the broadcast, he spoke to a wide range of issues. He gave kudos to the security agencies but also dealt ruthlessly with the bad eggs among them who have been involved in unprofessional and unethical conduct. According to him, “As we focus on protecting lives and property, we will not tolerate any human rights abuse by our security agencies. The few reported incidences are regrettable, and I want to assure you that the culprits will be brought to justice.” That is reassuring!

In the last fortnight, the President claimed to have done the following: Increased the capacity of isolation and treatment centres to 3,000 from 2,000 and expansion of testing capacity from 1,500 to 2,500. Unfortunately, while the testing capacity has been enhanced, two months after the index case was discovered, the nation has only carried out a little over 11,000 tests. This is at variance with the state of New York in the US which carries out an average of 20,000 tests per day. The President said his government had approved increased the hazard allowance to medical personnel and put 5,000 health workers on life insurance. This is laudable!

Besides, he showed himself as a listening person when he said, “Based on your feedback, Lagos State Government and the FCT with support from the NCDC have established several sample collection centres. They are also reviewing their laboratory testing strategy to further increase the number of tests they can perform including the accreditation of selected private laboratories that meet the accreditation criteria.”

Some of the key decisions communicated in the national broadcast are as follows: Approval of a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states effective from Monday, May 4, 2020; aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors; nationwide overnight curfew from 8pm to 6am; ban on non-essential inter-state passenger travel until further notice; partial and controlled interstate movement of goods and services to be allowed; and mandatory use of face masks or coverings in public in addition to maintaining physical distancing and personal hygiene. Furthermore, the restrictions on social and religious gatherings to remain in place. The Presidential Task Force is to provide sector-specific details to allow for preparations by governments, businesses and institutions.

He showed himself as a believer in federalism when he said state governors may choose to adapt and expand their containment measures, based on their unique circumstances provided, and maintain alignment with the guidelines issued above.

Well, while Ogun, Lagos and the FCT will be heaving a sigh of relief after five weeks of lockdown, Kano State will be holding the wrong side of the stick as the President has ordered a two-week lockdown on the state due to increase in number of strange deaths. The President also promised to support the state with personnel, materials and technical expertise.

President Buhari was very much on point and read the public mood correctly in taking this decision. He was pointblank when he noted that “No country can afford the full impact of a sustained lockdown while awaiting the development of vaccines and cure.” What would have been the aim of a sustained lockdown in the face of insufficient test kits and palliatives that are grossly inadequate for the vulnerable people?  Already there have been spikes in the cases of insecurity across the country. Many jobs have been lost and more are going to be lost if urgent steps are not taken to creatively get the economy back on track. Recall that two major committees were set up to see how the economy can function under COVID-19 as well as how farming can take place in spite of it. If the ban is not lifted on farming for instance, the country will be at risk of food insecurity, hunger and starvation.

Thus, the President was in a dilemma, desperate to protect lives and also preserve livelihoods. He has, under the circumstance, tried to maintain a delicate balancing of saving lives of the people from coronavirus pandemic and also ensuring that people’s means of livelihood are not totally lost. COVID-19 is dangerous just as hunger can be devastating.

Having said that, however, I disagree with the president that the containment measures of his government had worked effectively  and that is why the number of those who tested positive is low. He should know that the reason the model of projected 2,000 positive cases in the first month did not come through was simply because the number of the people tested was low. Also, the president was ambivalent when he said non-essential interstate travel will not be allowed. This can be misinterpreted. How can security agents prove that the journey of a traveller is non-essential? I am also of the opinion that the National Council on Health needs to meet to find a holistic way around the fight against the pandemic. Likewise, the time has come for the National Council of State to meet in order to deliberate on how governance can go on smoothly in this season. One of the crucial issues to deliberate on should be how best to tackle the Almajiri menace in the light of different states evicting these hapless children to their respective states of origin. These meetings can take place via teleconferencing.

As I have said elsewhere, it is high time we took our personal safety and security seriously. Individual and family sanitation and hygiene will go a long way in curbing this pandemic. Each of us must adhere to the World Health Organisation protocol of handwashing, use of sanitisers and face masks as it has become inexpedient of us to stay home in order to stay safe.