CORONAVIRUS: A MIRRORING OF NIGERIA AT THIS TIME

At this critical time when the whole world is sick and in need of healing, various conspiracy theorists have sprung up and have definitely not added much value to salvage the situation at hand; rather, they have succeeded in aggravating the fears of many and have thrown the world into more confusion. Although, that may not have much impact on societies with a functional system – I mean a society where things work because everyone made it work under genuine leadership, and trust is upheld.  Indeed, it seems Coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown the difference between what it means to be proactive and what it means to be reactive or at the receiving end. Those who have functional systems are able to utilize their standard medical facilities to treat Covid19 patients, distribute palliatives to their citizens in need, and as a matter of fact migrate to virtual schooling even for children in basic education classes. Perhaps, we may not have it all at once but the genuineness of the efforts made at a time like this is where the integrity of a nation lies.

For a country like Nigeria, coronavirus seems to have exposed that the masses do not even have access to the basic needs of life. So much cry for the continuous fall in the quality of education here, so much pleading for a state of emergency in that sector, little did we know that it is an all-encompassing cause for concern. In fact, is there any sector in Nigeria that is functional asides the entertainment industry? Is it okay to say that our problem in Nigeria is both systemic and a people problem? Perhaps, if we had or have a system that worked, we would have been more prepared to face Covid19, rather than constructing emergency tents even from the inception of the crisis. Can we also say that if we had a system that worked, we would have a functional educational system and at a time like this, we would join the league of nations in discussing the way out of this world crisis, develop testing kits like some African countries have also done, have our students migrate to virtual schooling at this time? How useful has the government intervention in this matter been to the people of Nigeria?

Phew!! So much ineptitude, display of greed and selfishness for a consumer-nation with mouth wide open for foreign aids, you would say? How does one explain the lifting of a lockdown ban when the figures are visibly getting increased exponentially, asides that the government had too little to offer? Someone asked what is being done with all the monies donated locally and internationally, and I did not and still do not have the answer, but I can only say that, someday, our leaders would be accountable to the people and the people would be able to demand that from their leaders, hopefully. It is sad to note that ought to be what schooling should have done to Nigerians but the schools have become a shadow of themselves; even lecturers have not been paid salaries for months because we play politics with everything in Nigeria. It’s obviously a sad story. What makes a country a nation when it cannot boast of quality education, standard infrastructures even for basic healthcare? If you ask my opinion, I would say it is nothing but a caricature!!!

To buttress that our problem is a systemic and a people problem, it is believed that both the leaders and the led have failed. Actually, it may be the job of a visionary leader to make innovative policies, employ foresight and see to the implementation of a master plan (where it exists), yet, it is the job of those being led to demand accountability from their leaders.  When there is no form of accountability because of corruption and selfishness, then, such a nation may be in for a long term disaster. Coronavirus seems to have exposed everything that is wrong with Nigeria. It exposed that hunger-virus can also kill and it also exposed the absence of trust in the government that some people believe that the whole thing is a sham and are demanding evidence including audio-visual evidence. That is what happens when there is no transparency and accountability in any form. In fact, transparency is not displayed with a bi-weekly broadcast in finest English; it is displayed by earning the trust of your people – actions should speak louder than words. The lockdown in Nigeria was lifted even while the numbers of the cases are increasing according to NCDC. Some think it is a smart way to prevent a “hunger-virus revolution” while some perceive it as our leaders leaving the masses to face this war themselves since they cannot help us much. Does that sound typical? If yes, then, Which way naija???

Dear Nigerians, it is not okay to be mediocre because posterity will judge us for whatever we stand for. Nigeria is our country and if we do not make it work, it will never work. Let us learn to take responsibility for our actions and be accountable: first things first. Nigerian lawmakers need to genuinely institute a law that will make us have a functional system, a system that works. Accountability simply means to take responsibility. It means to be transparent which makes growth achievable. When a leader is not accountable to those he or she is leading, then, such a leader may not add value in whatever form and the truth is, when a leader is not accountable, those being led should demand accountability. Thankfully, it is a democratic government. Catch the drift, for our leaders to be accountable or for us to demand it requires integrity from all stakeholders involved.  In essence, for Nigeria to work as a nation, we all must play our parts.

Accountability at a time like this means that salvaging the situation is everybody’s business. Perhaps, the government needs to show some seriousness in rescuing the situation with visible efforts at developing testing kits, identifying the peculiarities of the virus through academic research from major laboratories in Nigeria and stop waiting on foreign solutions, anything short of this does not communicate genuine interest. Individuals, on the other hand, have to obey basic instructions so that we all can be alive to see the kind of country we desire to see, someday. It is a time to reach out to the have-nots, even among ourselves as Nigerians. It is not a time to develop theories that do not add value or be involved in the escalation of fears. Everyone needs to take responsibility and be accountable.

Let us always remember that a nation will never grow beyond the quality of the education it has. For Whichwaynaija, we look forward to seeing some lessons learnt by Nigeria (especially those charged with the responsibility to make things work) from this Covid19 pandemic. We hope that a state of emergency is declared in the education sector as well as the health sector so that we can grow as a nation. We also hope that the issue of having genuine data of Nigerians would be taken more seriously and the various agencies instituted for these roles would be useful and functional. Make no mistake about it, if you do the same thing over and over again, your result will be the same. If we do not like the status quo, let’s change the narrative by becoming accountable even in little things such as ‘staying safe’ at this time and following the stipulated guidelines.