Apparently, it is in view of the resurgence of the coronavirus that President Muhammadu Buhari, this week, decided to extend the mandate of the Presidential Task Force on Control of COVID-19 to March 2021.The president disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the End-of-Year Report of the Presidential Task Force.He said the nation cannot afford to lose the gains of the past nine months in the fight against the coronavirus.“Recent reports reaching me indicate that Nigeria is now facing a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases,” he said. “New epicentres have been identified and the nation cannot afford to lose the gains of the last nine months. I have critically evaluated the situation and remain convinced that urgent measures have to be taken to halt the spread and the attendant fatalities.”Nigeria, indeed, like other countries, currently faces a second wave of the dreaded coronavirus and efforts must be made to contain and curtail its spread.
Thus far, the number of COVID-19 cases detected in the country in the past two weeks indicates that a second wave of the outbreak is set, if not urgently addressed, to rave the country and this much was highlighted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chairman of the Presidential Task Force on the Control of COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha.
The SGF stressed that the country is at risk of losing not only the gains from the hard work of the last nine months but also the lives of citizens.“We are in a potentially difficult phase of the COVID-19 resurgence,” he said. “Accessing the hope offered by the arrival of the vaccine is still some time ahead”.
Thankfully, even though the Minister of Health Mr Osagie Ehanire said that the government would receive 20 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021, the president, obviously, prefers that the country staves off infection rather than rely on vaccine. After all, it is said, and rightly so, that prevention is better than cure.More than 76,000 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Nigeria so far, while 1,201 people have died from the virus. Over 67,000 patients have recovered.Still, of great importance is the need to speedily and strategically access and administer the COVID-19 vaccine in a safe, effective and timely manner.This is an important obligation that the government owes Nigerians as we go into year 2021, and it must be carried out through an efficient machinery and process.Nigeria, like the president said, is clearly in a perilous situation given the virulent nature of this second wave, and the government must act decisively to protect lives.However, an objective assessment of the resurgence of the coronavirus could partly be attributed to relaxation of rules against its spread in many places, including Nigeria.At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries enforced lockdowns and social distancing measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
As case numbers waned and the lockdowns lifted, many people believed that the worst had passed and began meeting others socially again.
Unfortunately, these attempts to enjoy what many were forced to do without, had negative consequences. And, now, all over the world, even in countries that seemed to be handling the cases well, the number of active COVID-19 infections is rising.Canada, which was down to low double digits in its daily new infections at one point, is now back to about 3,000 new infections per day. Even in the EU, which had a strong first response to the pandemic, has seen the number of cases rise since the beginning of October.This new wave is, partially, due to policy softening under pressure from the economy. The retail, restaurant, and service sectors were heavily impacted by the lockdowns. As such, governments had to pay large amounts of money to keep their country’s economy afloat.Because of this, governments were strongly incentivised to ease the lockdowns to restart the economy. However, this new wave of COVID-19 cases will end up costing more in the long term.The new wave of cases is also due to people not fully respecting the virulence of the virus and ignoring the necessity of social distancing. There have been multiple instances of people making news for holding large in-person gatherings that are either not recommended or necessary.
Though such a measure hurts economies, but if countries can enforce a near-total lockdown where the population has very little movement and interpersonal contact for several weeks or months, then, they can return to normal relatively quickly.It is now clear that many countries have failed to take thorough measures to combat this pandemic or have utilised short-sighted plans at the expense of long-term case reductions.While short-term plans aimed at helping the economy by lifting lockdowns were hitherto seemed as a good idea, it is now proving detrimental as more people are getting infected and dying.Agreed, this might not be a popular view, but, on a serious note, countries have to rally now and commit to a long round of lockdowns so that we can return to a post-coronavirus world sooner, rather than later.On the other hand, we should not let fear overwhelm us. Therefore, while I concede that health, no doubt, is the most important thing, at the same time, the economy, well-being, the return to coexistence, harmony and freedom must be cherished.It is in this light that the call made by the president on sub-national entities, traditional rulers, religious and leaders of thought to collaborate with the Presidential Task Force by taking up the responsibility for risk communication and community engagement at all levels makes sense.Now, more than ever, is the time for collective efforts to be intensified against the spread of COVID-19 and, as we celebrate Christmas today, Nigerians must be vigilant and stay safe.Above that, people should heed the advice given by the president that non-essential trips and large social gatherings should be avoided or cancelled.
Misfortune mustn’t stop Kankara schoolboys
Talking as someone who has seen, touched and heard them all, President Muhammadu Buhari, last week in Katsina , called on the abducted and rescued students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina state, not to be discouraged by their ordeal from their education pursuit.The president, crucially, said to them that they should be focused in pursuing their education, despite their misfortune of getting kidnapped. The reward of knowledge is not negotiable, he, tellingly, said.The president, who met with the 344 students at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, rightly described the unfortunate incident as a test of their determination to succeed in life. “My dear children, don’t be discouraged with what has happened,’’ he said. “Give your attention to acquiring knowledge and developing good character and you will be distinguished in life.’’Acknowledging that the kids went through a lot, he said that “there is no substitute to good education, so they must return to school.”“If I wasn’t educated I will not be standing here today in front of you,” he said. “I schooled in Katsina for nine years. I moved on to join the army, served as a governor, head of state, went to prison, came out and later joined politics. I contested presidential elections three times, and finally I was declared a winner in 2015.’’With this coming from somebody who has lived it all, what more lessons do the students need to learn in order to understand that there is, indeed, no gain without pain?And, what is there better than education, as far as children are concerned, to bring gain? Education is a powerful agent of change and improves health and livelihoods, contributes to social stability and drives long-term economic growth.No doubt, part of the societal ills we currently face in Nigeria, among which are the problems of kidnapping and banditry, came about because illiteracy and poverty combined to limit progression of mist of the perpetrators of such crimes.
Therefore, when children spent most of their time in doing academic works, they wouldn’t have the chance to do unpleasant things that would put them into trouble.And, when children understand the standard of living and expectations of society, they follow the law and order by exercising it.Undoubtedly, children who are not educated find themselves involved in stealing, killing, raping and other types of crimes to live. Therefore, it was apparent that it was with the intention to reduce these crimes that the president called on the children to stay focused and pursue their education in order to avoid falling into the web of crimes.And, on this his call, the president should be supported by all well-meaning people, the government of Katsina state, education stakeholders and parents of the abducted and rescued Kankara schoolboys to ensure that the kids go through education process successfully.
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