Despite the spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and visitors have jettisoned the pandemic’s protocols. TOPE SUNDAY writes on the scary development.
Like many other states in the country, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is also battling with the deadly coronavirus code-named Covid-19. And since its outbreak in March 2020, the government had mandated Nigerians to observe the Covid-19 safety protocols which included but not limited to the wearing of facemasks, which is to prevent its spread.
However, investigations by Blueprint Weekend showed that aside from banks and some government agencies, Abuja residents have tactically dropped the wearing of facemasks in public places including worship centres. However, some worship centres within the city have long ago jettisoned its use. This development, according to observers, may cause the spike of the virus in the territory.
Current Covid-19 figures
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Nigeria in March 2020, a total of 3,340, 313 had been tested till date, while 212, 359 cases were confirmed. Out of this number, which was accessed on the website of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC’s) on Thursday, 204,010 victims had been discharged, while 2,900 were casualties. Also, according to the statistics, a total of 5,449 are active cases.
Also, aside from Lagos, which is leading in the number of Covid-19 cases both in casualties and those discharged, the FCT is second in that order.
Lagos had recorded 77,863 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 76,918 discharged and 752 deaths in less than two years of the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country. Though Lagos’ experience with the virus might be alarming, FCT is also experiencing the same fate though two twice lower than Lagos’ figures.
According to the NCDC’s statistics, between
March 21, 2020 and now the FCT has recorded no fewer than 23,319 confirmed cases of the virus out of which 21,075 were discharged and 221 lost their lives.
FCTA’s efforts
As of February this year, the FCT Covid-19 Enforcement Task Force through the outdoor mobile court prosecuted and fined 46 people for violating the Covid-19 guidelines.
The development, Blueprint Weekend gathered, was part of the efforts of the FCT administration, headed by the minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, and the Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, to curtail the spread of the virus.
The administration also set up a Ministerial Expert Advisory Task Team led by a former minister of the territory, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo.
According to reports, the Modibbo-led team is saddled with the responsibility of harnessing private sector support and efforts towards defeating the deadly virus. Specifically, the team was mandated to rally wealthy individuals and organisations to provide medical, financial and other material support in cushioning the effect of the pandemic in the territory.
Hesitation
Despite the arrest and prosecution of the erring Abuja residents, who violated the Covid-19 guidelines, it was gathered that wearing of facemasks in commercial cars and some public places have been long jettisoned in the capital territory.
Blueprint Weekend reports that both residents and visitors to the FCT no longer wear facemasks, while there are no government officials that will compel them to do so.
Also, investigations by this reporter revealed that most of the passengers did not comply with the Covid-19 protocols of wearing facemasks, while others used them for cosmetic purposes.
Our reporter, who visited some motor parks in Abuja on Monday, observed that passengers travelling in and out of Abuja did not wear facemasks, while their drivers used the facemasks to ‘decorate’ their cars.
A trip embarked upon by this reporter from ‘Area One’ to ‘Zuba’ revealed that none of the passengers observed the Covid-19 safety protocols.
A resident, who identified himself as Emeka, said Covid-19 was an imagination of the western world, arguing that the whites were celebrating it because it emanated from them.
He said, “Covid-19 is the imagination of the western world. They are celebrating it because it came from them. If the virus had emanated from Africa or Nigeria, they would have long abandoned us to our fate. Do you remember the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria in 2014?
“Did they celebrate it? No! Or we did not survive it? We did. For me, I have stopped wearing facemasks since because of the western world’s imagination about the Covid-19. Also, Nigeria’s sun is enough for me to be wearing the facemask that may cause other health challenges for me.”
Also, a commercial driver, Umar Abdullahi, told this reporter that he stopped observing the laid down protocols on Covid-19 after the lockdown.
“I have stopped observing the laid down protocols on Covid-19 since. I stopped wearing a facemask immediately after the lockdown and if you observe, you will see that our government is not too harsh on the wearing of the facemask. So, why will I be giving myself an undeserving stress,” he said.
Another resident, Adejoro John, said he does not believe that the virus still exists in the country, but admitted that during the lockdown, he used facemasks just for him to obey the directive by the government.
“I wore face masks during the lockdown to obey the government but in the real sense, I don’t believe in it (Covid-19).
Since the lockdown imposed on us last year was lifted, I have stopped wearing it (facemask). What does it do? There is no Covid-19 in Nigeria anymore,” he said.
An Abuja-based journalist, who spoke to this medium but preferred anonymity, said some of his neighbours in Kuje, a suburb of Abuja, saw anyone wearing facemasks as being infected by the virus.
The journalist recalled that he was once at a market in the area and everybody except him did not wear a facemask. The development, he said, made him look isolated.
“My brother, let me tell you that now, it looks like a crime if you wear a facemask in Abuja. Some of my neighbours in Kuje now see anybody who wears a facemask as Covid-19 victim. My experience when I went to a market in my area recently made me look like an outcast. I looked isolated because I was the only person wearing the facemask during that time,” he said.
