Lockdown with a human face

Editorial

Amidst the varied implications of the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of government lockdown to curtail its transmission, the governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, has called for caution by the different tiers of government in both the style and measures of implementation. According to the governor, the baby must not be thrown away with the bath water. In other words, there should be a balancing between governments’ attempts to protect the people and people’s attempt at self-sustenance.

According to the governor, while governments make efforts to protect the people, their means of livelihood must be considered, given that  majority of the people live from hand to mouth and must work daily to feed themselves and their families. This, invariably, is his reason for the partial lockdown of the state.

While we commend the governor for empathising with the people, we must caution that he should not be too excited to let the scale of populism tip to a dangerous level as caution and good strategic thinking must be the watchword these perilous times.

His actions must be guided by the advice of concerned medical, sociological and scientific experts who are the ones globally guiding economic and social moves by leaders now. They are the ones analysing and leading the way as a result of their deeper understanding of the implications of each action. As Dr. Richard Dawood of Fleet Street Clinic London advised, technocratic leadership is what is needed at this moment and leaders must mobilise the best hands to help the world get through this.

Governor Ayade must avoid speaking from both sides of the mouth for any form of political expediency at this time. We recall that he recently displayed some carelessness at a time the whole world was almost at the edge of the precipice, due to the ravaging impact of the pandemic that has killed thousands and literally shut down the global economy.  In what appeared like a very inconsiderate political decision, the Chairman of the State  Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC ) had a few days ago insisted that the local government election would hold on April 12.

Prior to the announcement, electioneering campaigns had been going on across the state at a time governments were closing down economies and enforcing social distancing, to stem the spread of the virus. The state government behaved as though it was immune to the global pandemic, by not stepping back to take preventive actions, especially as it was not even sure of the status of the state with regard to the novel coronavirus. It would be a miracle if the virus was not inadvertently spread on the political field during the campaigns.

We however appreciate the point the governor made about balancing lockdown measures with the realities of daily sustainability, especially in states with overstretched facilities like Lagos. In a country with poor infrastructure and semi-developed agricultural sector, the food supply chain is not inexhaustive. Already, supermarkets and pharmacies are running out of stock as a result of the lockdown.

This period must force some introspection in all Nigerians, including governments. There is need for data and statistics for a seamless government-people interaction. Lack of data and other relevant statistical records has been exposed in the few states that some palliatives were distributed. There is so much distrust and debate over the mode of distribution. This is avoidable.