AFTER five weeks of lockdown in Lagos and Ogun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by the Federal Government as the COVID-19 pandemic spiralled, a buzz in business and corporate activities has just returned. It is a breath of fresh air that will be gradual as restrictions on interstate travels, schools, religious and other mass gatherings remain – except those involved in essential services. Even countries hardest hit by the coronavirus have begun taking tentative steps towards easing lockdowns.
This period is for “aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures,” which require state governors to demonstrate leadership, by setting up the much-needed molecular laboratory test centres and ramping up the collection of samples for testing. Relying on 18 laboratories in a country of about 200 million people is an indictment of the governors, particularly those from the North.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State showed leadership deficit when he folded his arms, lamenting how the Federal Government purportedly abandoned his state, which has become the second epicentre of the disease. He lived in denial claiming that the “mysterious deaths” in Kano in recent weeks were not COVID-19-related, only to be proved wrong by the findings of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
Lagos and Ogun states were the initial states in the South, whose governors did not wait for the Federal Government before setting up testing centres and taking some extraordinary measures to fight the virus. Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has also proved the point that putting up a molecular laboratory-testing centre for the COVID-19 pandemic is not rocket science. In collaboration with the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, a centre has just been established. Other governors who are laid back on this should set up these centres now.
It is not the duty of the Federal Government alone to provide the centres; states should be actively involved. Clearly, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, has drummed it into the ears of the governors that collecting samples for testing is the responsibility of the states. There is also a shortage of bed spaces in isolation centres, according to Ihekweazu. This is a big setback in the NCDC containment effort and closing the gap is a challenge each governor should face squarely.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in his last broadcast, said the lockdown breather was imperative to strike a balance between protecting public health and preserving livelihoods as the country continued with the virus containment. He advised Nigerians to adhere strictly to extant guidelines issued by the PTF and the NCDC. They include regular hand-washing, physical-distancing, wearing of face masks, taking body temperature in public places and avoiding non-essential travels. These health protocols have become the new normal as the virus threatens to spread more widely.
Relaxing the lockdown, therefore, places a huge responsibility on individuals, companies and government authorities in observing and enforcing the regulations. Absurdly, many citizens still do not believe that the virus exists. Such people are indifferent to the existing public health protocols for the pandemic. In this group are transporters who overloaded their buses the very first day the lockdown mitigation began. In Lagos, 65 youths were arrested a few days ago for partying in a hotel. The markets still witness a throng without facemasks, shoving one another. This defeats the social distancing measure. Ihekweazu lamented that initial reports on lockdown easing were not too pleasing across the country. He asked, “Now that we have seen the sunlight again, the challenge for us as a society is, how do we organise ourselves to mitigate these risks and limit transmissions from each other?”
The threat from the virus is far from being over. This is where the state governors should exert their authority. This hands-on strategy has been put to good use in some states. In Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike subjected some areas that flagrantly flouted COVID-19 regulations to an indefinite lockdown. He has also constituted a task force to ensure compliance with the interstate travel protocols compromised by the police. “These unscrupulous security officers are deliberately putting our state and the lives of our people at risk, as our health system can hardly cope, should there be a surge in COVID-19 cases,” he alleged. His Kaduna State counterpart, Nasir el-Rufai, has done the same. The state’s boundary with Kano has been barricaded because of the abuse of the exception granted food haulage drivers who now smuggle passengers into the state.
In Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unveiled a raft of measures that will guide the easing of the lockdown: ban of commercial motorcycle operations, fewer passengers in buses and taxis, hand-washing and sanitising at motor parks, controlled access to markets and time-frame and schedules for business operations. The regimen appears to be common nationwide.
But compliance by citizens and the ability of state officials to enforce the protocols are major concerns. These challenges were evident in Lagos, Abuja and other areas in the last two days. Even while the federal lockdown and those ordered by states endured, intra and interstate travels by those not on essential duties were rampant. States should oil their public enlightenment machinery: radio, television and town criers, for massive campaigns so that the message of the deadly nature of the virus will be internalised by the citizens.
The phased easing of the lockdown does not imply the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the number of confirmed cases is increasing and may go out of control if caution is not taken. “If we do have that explosion, there will be almost no choice left for the leadership of the country but to ask all of us to go back to our homes,” Ihekweazu warned.
As the Federal Government leads the national response to COVID-19, the largest outbreak of an infectious disease in the century, state health authorities should also stand on the front lines to ensure a collaborative response to the pandemic.
The responsibility to keep everyone informed on the risks of the virus, the high rate of contagiousness and the preventive measures citizens should take lies mainly with the states. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the main way COVID-19 is spread to others is when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The message should get to the grassroots. The ultimate goal is to contain the new virus until a vaccine is developed.
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