PULSE 2020: NIGERIA

Nigeria; the world’s most populous black nation, rich with an abundance of human and natural resources, an oil producing state with continuous income generated from that industry for a period spanning over sixty years could not for some inexplicable reason provided any form of palliatives for its population during a pandemic enforced lockdown.

The extent of damages on a global scale that tie directly to the Covid-19 Pandemic cannot be over emphasized. We see the economy of a number of nations tether on the brink of recession, while that of some others already wallow in that pool of turmoil. Despite these struggles during the lock down, some countries had put measures in place to ease the financial burden of their citizens. It would be interesting to note that while some nations handed out palliatives of varying degrees, some elements in the government of one nation in particular saw this global pandemic as an opportunity to loot the nation blind. Chief amongst these grand thefts is a very bizarre case of the disappearance of an 800million naira Covid-19 relief fund donated by some financial bodies, captains of industry and prominent Nigerians to the government, the purpose of which was to help feed the nation during the lockdown. As it happened, weeks after the funds were remitted to the Federal Government, no visible signs of funds disbursements were apparent. The resulting public outcry from the proposed beneficiaries and the donating bodies led to an enquiry, the finance minister was summoned and quizzed as to the availability of said funds. The Minister claimed that the funds had in fact been disbursed to the public, when the panel requested proof of these claims; the Minister said he had them at his office, he was asked to produce the documents to support his claims the following week then the panel was adjourned. However, like some plot from an old spy novel, a marvelous “coincidence” occurred. A mysterious fire started at the finance office and blazed on for hours without a fire truck in sight consuming whatever evidence (if any really existed) to substantiate the issue. Thus, like the flames from the fire that gutted the finance office, the matter simply faded away into history like smoke on a windy day.

In a period of approximately five months (and counting) since the first case was recorded in the West African nation, the loss of lives, income, savings and in some cases sanity has been overwhelming. In the time since the first recorded case, Nigeria; a nation of over 160million citizens has only tested less than 10% of that number, partly due to the ineptitude of the sitting government and the nonchalant attitude of the populace but also the prevailing sense of lack that has shrouded the lower class like a veil for decades. The few and scant isolation centres hastily put up to stay in the good graces of International bodies looking to donate relief funds and materials were not only grossly inadequate, they were also ill equipped and rudimentary at best. However, like a ray of light through the darkness, the Nigerian medical practitioners who over the years had proven themselves capable time and time again to have the required expertise to handle pandemics (Most recently; the Ebola crisis) rose up once again to fight for the lives of their countrymen. Risking their lives in deplorable working conditions to not only limit the spread of the virus but also to treat the infected and educate the public on preventive measures during the lock down. Despite these self-sacrifices, these essential workers were on numerous occasions victimized and brutalized by some members of the police force on their way to or from their jobs, leading to repeated threats of strike actions by the medical unions which however did little to stop the incessant harassment. These medical unions also appealed to the government for a raise in their earnings to enable them cope with the rising costs of living and transportation which they claimed would help the improve the quality of service they provide. This request was denied, despite the same government handing out palliative packages to non-essential political and appointed personnel amounting to billions of naira. The doctors promptly went on strike in protest; the government response was to immediately threaten the doctors with the sack or in some states of the federation to replace them with student doctors. When all these strong armed tactics failed, the government offered to increase their pay by a measly five thousand naira; the offer was rejected and the doctors remain on strike.

With no viable vaccine in sight and the gradual re-opening of the economy by the government, Nigerians appear to be carrying on with their daily lives with little or none of the initial fear and panic that gripped the nation in the early days of the pandemic. To assert that a high percentage of the citizens do not believe the pandemic is real would not be too far off the mark as many have taken to social media to cast aspersions on the pandemic, in turn proffering several conspiracy theories, some bordering on the ridiculous, some with half-truths and others based on hearsay. Whatever the case may be (whether real or not), the effects of the resulting lockdown and the grinding of the economy to almost a halt cannot be denied. To ease the stress of everyday life, the government reduced the price of petrol from NGN165 to NGN125. The NGN40 difference; although measly on paper went a long way to easing the transportation burden on the masses. This little breath of fresh air would only last a couple of weeks as the government removed the subsidy on petroleum products and the prices promptly rose to the initial levels, leaving many questioning the government’s decision-making process.

The Nigerian working class are mostly entrepreneurial with most individuals earning their livelihood on a daily basis, creating a way of life based on the principle of “living from hand to mouth”. The inability of the Nigerian government to develop or execute a palliatives plan during the enforced lockdown did nothing to help the condition of families in this situation as the cost of basic food stuff and amenities skyrocketed, as high as a 100% in some cases. The government’s claims of “being broke” comes as a shock, considering the revenue received from oil over six decades, the continuous return of huge chunks of loot from previous administrations squirreled away in foreign banks and the apparent lack of social and structural developments in the country to justify the disappearance of these monies. The incessant looting of the nation’s treasury without conscience or foresight has left the nation reeling, the government appears to be constantly on the look-out for foreign loans taken mostly under false pretences and almost never used for the purpose intended, in turn mortgaging the future of the nation’s youth for personal enrichment of the ruling class. The drop in oil prices has handicapped the nation due to the apparent lack of meaningful development of its other natural resources and an unwillingness to invest in the local industry; depending instead on imports for its basic needs, the covid-19 pandemic and oil crisis has limited the country’s ability to sell its oil and by extension crippled its ability to purchase its needs.

It is curious to note that despite the absence of a palliative buffer for the affected people, new government policies developed in some Nigerian states like Lagos State; the economic and financial capital of the nation, post-lockdown has birthed newer and harsher tax laws. Since the easing of the lockdown, SMEs have been hit with a barrage of increased taxes and tariffs causing more difficulty to the already troubled businesses which in turn has led to a price hike in the cost of these goods and services. More restrictions have been placed on certain mode of transport (150cc motorcycles and tricycles) generally favored by the lower class, causing a hike in the cost of transportation. Ride sharing services (Uber, Bolt, PlentyWaka etc.) are not exempted from the new money-grabbing government policies imposed, these service providers are asked to pay new exorbitant rates for licensing and operational purposes, probably aimed at crippling these businesses in favor of the newly formed government provider or yet another elaborate ruse to generate and siphon government funds. These stiff policies have not helped to improve the spirits of the citizens trying to put their lives together. It is disheartening to note that these new policies and laws appear to stifle the entrepreneurial spirit of most of the masses thereby leading to an ever-growing increase in the crime rate and internal unrest. Cases of armed robbery, internet scams, petty theft, kidnapping and a lot of other social vices are on the rise, a lot of the citizens; hard pressed to make ends meet have resorted to crime increasing the pressure on an already strained internal powder keg of insecurity. During the lockdown, a band of hoodlums were known to mobilize at all hours of the day to terrorize neighborhoods; harassing, robbing, stealing and looting with impunity for a number of weeks before the police force managed to quell the raids.

The Government is not totally culpable in the matter, the gullibility of most of the masses and their penchant for falling easily for media propaganda also plays a role in the sorry state of the country. An average Nigerian values his next meal above all else, the ruling class; aware of this flaw have learned to play on this to their advantage, giving rise to the term “politics of the belly”. This involves flooding the electorate with inconspicuous amounts of politically branded food items and money during elections in an attempt to curry votes. This system allows the ruling class take advantage of the near starved masses during elections to get mass popularity at the polls by giving them the things they basically need but do not readily have access to, this creates a situation whereby the electorate are persuaded to vote based on their survival needs as opposed to the

If Nigeria is to survive the covid-19 pandemic, more resources need to be channeled into the medical sector to adequately prepare the practitioners to battle the second wave of the virus which could hit at any time, more effort should also be put into properly informing and educating the masses about the dangers of the virus and hygienic practices to keep themselves safe. Lastly, funding for SMEs especially those in the agricultural and medical sector should be improved to better help the nation feed itself. Failure to address these issues will on serve to further fan the flames of discontentment, internal unrest, hasten the death of patriotism and give life to the cries for cessation from all corners of the federation.