The Nation Newspaper

Category: Wednesday

  • COVID-19 lessons from Vietnam

    COVID-19 lessons from Vietnam

    Niyi Akinnaso

     

    WHEN I arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 11, 2019, one thought dominated my mind: How far along the path to recovery has the country come after at least two decades of civil war (1955-1975), which eventually involved its immediate neighbours and, more importantly, the United States, China, and the old Soviet Union?

    This thought became dominant because of the devastating effects of the war on lives and property. Over 2 million Vietnamese were killed in the war; 3 million were wounded; and 22 million became refugees. The war also demolished the country’s infrastructure and economy. I could not but ask myself how such a country could recover from such a ruinous war, which lasted nearly seven times as long as the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) and inflicted much less damage?

    It took only a few hours to realise the high quality of governance at every level and how disciplined a society Vietnam is. A tour of the country showed how much national improvement had resulted from these traits. To be sure, there are motor vehicles of different shapes and sizes, motorcycles (okada) are still the predominant mode of personal transportation. They dominate the streets, even in the biggest cities, such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Yet, in nearly two weeks spent in both cities, not a single accident was reported.

    What is most encouraging about Vietnam is the people’s entrepreneurial spirit, which mirrors the government’s enterprising adventures. After the war, the government embarked early on egalitarian land distribution and equitable economic policies aimed at improving living standards and reducing inequality. And the people seized the opportunity and worked the land. Once a poor country, the relative poverty rate in Vietnam quickly became less than that of China, India, and the Philippines. Today, Vietnam is a middle-level country.

    For quite some time, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy. Today, Vietnam is the world’s largest producer of cashew nuts; the largest producer of black pepper; and the second largest rice exporter in the world.

    However, the country has since moved beyond agriculture. Today, light manufacturing, information technology, and high-tech industries are a large and fast-growing part of the national economy due to huge investments in science and technology in recent years.

    Against the above backgrounds, I was curious to know how Vietnam has been coping with the coronavirus pandemic, especially given its shared border and trade ties with China. The findings show a country that is proactive, plans well, executes its plans, has the trust of the citizens, and strives to be self-sustained in its COVID-19 containment and treatment strategies.

    As of June 15, 2020, the total confirmed cases in Vietnam is 334 out of which 303 have been treated and discharged. Not a single death has been recorded. Yet, Vietnam is a country of about 95 million people. How did this happen?

    There are several major factors. First, Vietnamese authorities were aware of the pandemic very early and started planning before they even had their index case on January 23, 2020.

    Second, after monitoring the situation in China for a few days after the index case, Chinese tourists were quickly banned from entering Vietnam and all foreign nationals were later banned from entering the country. Strict quarantine and testing measures were put in place for returning nationals.

    Third, drastic and people-centric strategies were developed and strict quarantine measures were enforced, especially in communities with even a single reported case.  Each local administration meticulously traced every single person who may have been infected with the virus and quarantined entire streets as well as villages even over a single case.

    At the same time, hospital capacity was beefed up to cope with possible cases. Bed spaces, health workers, and Personal Protective Equipment were meticulously monitored to prevent overflow or shortages.

    Fourth, the authorities effectively mobilized the strength and the participation of both the government and the citizenry in making COVID-19 prevention a priority. Wearing face masks, washing hands with soap or sanitizer frequently, maintaining physical distancing, and avoiding large gatherings quickly became the new normal. Both the government and the people did not mind sacrificing immediate economic benefits to protect people’s health and lives.

    Fifth, rather than rely on China for medical supplies and testing kits, the Vietnamese authorities turned to their scientists and factories as early as January. Testing kits were developed by Military Medical University and Viet A Company. The Ministry of Science and Technology funded the projects and the kits were licensed by the Ministry of Health. They also produced their own PPEs

    The COVID-19 testing kits they produced provide result within an hour with a 90 percent accuracy. The testing kits use the Real-Time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method, and have passed European Standards. They also have been recognized by the Emergency Use Listing procedure of the World Health Organization.

    The testing kits, which are said to be adaptable with multiple types of testing equipment, went into mass production in March. The kits are exclusively ordered by a distribution partner and are now being used in many countries, including the UK, the US, India, and Mexico. Over 20 countries and territories are said to be negotiating for the purchase of the testing kits from Vietnam.

    What is particularly significant about the Vietnamese approach is the early decision to decentralise the containment and treatment efforts. Local communities have been in the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam, quickly identifying infected persons, tracing, tracking, and treating them, where necessary.

    The high degree of compliance with appropriate mitigation measures also played a major role in Vietnam’s success. It is most unfortunate that Nigerians still have to be educated about how deadly COVID-19 is when the number of Nigerians killed so far by the virus far exceeds the total number of infections in Vietnam.

    With infections rising and killing more and more people, it is high time to mount widespread public education to reduce the level in public ignorance and increase compliance with mitigation measures. Without a doubt, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has preached the necessary sermons. The situation is now beyond sermonisation. It is now time for real grassroots education at the community level.

     

     

     

  • The Coronavirus diaries (11)

    The Coronavirus diaries (11)

    Festus Eriye

     

    WHEN First Lady Aisha Buhari fired off an unusual late night tweet, you knew there was trouble in paradise. Last Friday, she sent the equivalent of an open letter to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to set her detained aides free.

    Who would dare arrest the aide-de-camp (ADC) and other security staff of the president’s better half?

    The story that dribbled out of a close-lipped Aso Villa suggested madam had had an altercation with President Muhammadu Buhari’s influential Personal Assistant, Yusuf Sabiu aka Tunde, over his refusal to self-isolate for 14 days after inter-state travel to Lagos.

    Most accounts claim that the encounter dovetailed into a car chase in the vicinity of the Presidential Villa, leading to shots being fired. The result was madam’s ADC and others being ‘quarantined’ for breaching rules regarding the handling of firearms in such a sensitive environment.

    Buhari’s handlers tried to dismiss the incident as an insignificant one that the opposition were trying to build a mountain out of. But how do you downplay a spat between the president’s spouse and one of his closest aides that had been escalated onto that global digital market square – Twitter?

    The incident was grave enough for the president to order a ‘thorough investigation’, with the ominous promise that the law would take its natural course!

    Just as Nigerians were coming down from the adrenaline high of drama in the corridors of power, another scandal broke. Unsurprisingly, it involved Naira Marley – a popular hip-hop artiste who wears controversy like a shirt. In the early days of the lockdown in Lagos, he was part of the supporting cast at the infamous birthday party that landed Nollywood actress Funke Akindele and her musician husband J. J. Skillz in the dock.

    While the couple were convicted and sentenced to community service, Marley and a couple of others escaped lightly with a plea bargain and an apology to the state government.

    Nigerians who had been scratching their heads wondering how this same fellow managed to land in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with a so-called inter-state travel ban in place, airports supposedly shut down and mass gatherings banned, were soon treated to a comedy of errors.

    First, embarrassed aviation authorities suspended the airline that ferried the musician and his crew to Abuja for the drive-in concert. But in a grovelling apology next day Executive Jets CEO, Sam Iwuajoku, explained that he had mistaken Marley, real name Azeez Fashola, for Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Really?

    Beyond the surname, how anyone could have mixed up the dreadlocks-sporting, trouser-sagging singer with the scholarly, suit-wearing minister, beats the imagination.

    But it speaks to the fact that with so many of the Covid-19 restrictions, it’s one rule for the people, another for the powerful and well-heeled.

    Iwuajoku then puts his foot firmly in by declaring with barely-concealed contempt that he thought he was airlifting an important officer of state, not knowing his craft was to be used to carry a bunch of “useless people.”

    The unrepentant Marley, who is virtually worshipped by his legion of young followers called “Marlians,” hit back. “I won’t fly again with your useless airline,” he retorted.

    The FCT authorities have already prosecuted the organisers of the concert and shut the Jabi Lake Mall venue of the event. But mum is the word concerning Marley. Many are waiting to see whether he gets another pass because of his celebrity.

    Just when people were beginning to hope that the easing of lockdown measures meant the coronavirus crisis was on the wane, we’ve been witnessing a spike in new infections on daily basis. Most days the numbers have fluctuated between 400 and excess of 600.

    The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 claims the alarming figures were expected as the nation scaled up testing. But that’s just one side of things. If we are returning these huge new numbers, the implication is that the virus has penetrated far deeper into the community than we are willing to admit.

    Perhaps this was the realisation when, yesterday, the Lagos State government suddenly slammed the brakes on the reopening of churches and mosques which been slated for June 19 and 21. Or perhaps the shocking death of Senator Adebayo Osinowo from Covid-related complications brought home the reality that the virus wasn’t on recess in the state.

    Two weeks ago Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, warned the state was in danger of running out of isolation beds. Unfortunately, there’s no let-up in the numbers and the nightly updates from the NCDC now look like a recurring nightmare for state officials.

    The PTF, acknowledging it’s virtually exhausting its cards, is now reduced to appealing to people to “take responsibility.” It is a serious situation but also amusing. You’re asking people – many of whom think the virus is a scam – to lead the charge against it!

    But it has come to that as there’s a limit to which governments can go to keep the populace healthy. Lockdowns can only last for so long and at best violators would walk away with mild fines.

    The PTF is horrified that despite its best efforts, monitoring across the country shows a widespread disregard for advertised protocols. For the frustrated officials, it’s been like preaching to the congregation of the deaf.

    But this stubbornness isn’t just a Nigerian thing. This week, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni declared he was fed up with trying to convince his compatriots to choose life.

    “When I pass through town there, people are not bothered. They say after all nobody has died, so they are not bothered. If you’re looking for somebody to die you will get him. And when you start dying, don’t say Museveni did not tell us. There is nothing we have not told you. We don’t have to beg you, please; don’t die, don’t die, please don’t die. No. We have told you exactly what the science says about this virus and how we can avoid it,” he stated.

    Truly, our choices and actions would determine whether lives are saved or lost. So, choose life for you and your community by acting responsibly at this time.

  • June 12, G Floyd’s Hero- Darnella Frazier -Record!! 

     Tony Marinho

     

    COVID-19 records deaths approaching 450,000, infections 8,000,000, with around 16,500 recognised cases in Nigeria. Stay safe!!

    We mourn with Pastor Ituah Ighodalo on the transition of his wife Ibidunni to Heavenly glory. May God grant her eternal rest and comfort to pastor and the family, Amen, Amen.

    Unfortunately, Nigeria also mourns this week over 150 murdered in Nigeria in the war waged by Boko Haram, herders and ISWA.

    June 12 is still not a celebration, but a sad memorial for the lives sacrificed as every single president, governor and assembly member has failed woefully to serve enough to pay for the democracy blood spilt especially when compared to the available natural resources and financial incomes since June 12, 1993.

    Any apparent progress or success is insignificant when compared to the excessive lifestyle of beneficiaries of governance structures at state and federal level. Expecting better, we got worse -what a useless marriage!

    June 12, 27 years after MKO Abiola’s victory and subsequent Babangida-led election robbery at cost of many deaths and billions in economic loses from protests and under the coup-plotting military, the economic migration of hundreds of thousands under Babangida and the political migration under Abacha’s reign of terror, what do we have? No true federalism, northern-biased lopsided administrative and political appointments, no elections without killings and unending lucrative court tribunals.

    We have eternal contracts being ‘ongoing’ forever and never ending -e.g Lagos-Ibadan, East-West Road, 2nd and [haha] 3rd Niger Bridge, and even unpaid soldier and civilian pensioners. There are too few new intrastate and trans-state Nigerian projects.

    Instead we have ‘repeat, repeat’ overlaying old colonial roads and railway routes at snail’s pace. Nothing new – like the Lekki Bridge.

    Nigeria is where a project can poetically take 100 years for 100 kilometres of road. Bridges do take several lifetimes.

    All this when the greedy politician should, as a June 12 present to Nigeria, cut by 75% NASS Salaries and Perks SAPping the budgets of Nigeria dry, a political unsustainable burden.

    Nigeria needs 2020 style faster shorter contracts with meaningful faster start-finish times. Nigerians did nothing to politicians.

    Why do politicians give Nigerians a 15-year still uncompleted repair-work on the former Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that took four years to build from scratch? Why is contract work a petty joke to them? Contracts kill. Period!!

    The Lagos Ibadan road, 2nd Niger Bridge, East-West Road routinely appear in every presidential speech since 1999 always ‘to be finished next year’! People, there is no year called ‘Next Year’. It is code for ‘never’. Try asking the Supreme Court.

    We mourn the unknown dead of June 12 but nothing has changed enough for Nigerians in a world of 24/7 solar energy, 400km/hour highspeed trains and 1000-bed hospitals build in four days.

    How can Nigeria’s government even sleep when we fail all SDG indices including the right to life in four Northeast states? Government should do more and better. Contracts are for servicing citizens’ needs, not for politicians’ greed and for them to play ludo or monopoly with our money.

    Nigeria has lost over 100,000 precious souls to terrorism with five million as IDPs and other refugees across Nigeria. Not one of those victims needed to have died.

    They were largely unprotected. Has anyone asked what June 12 means to them, the dead and the alive- living as beggars in derelict schools with loss of ancestral lands and livelihoods, now daily begging to feed children and visited by Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter politicians? Now we rape IDPs, rob them and raid their camps.

    For Covid, corporate Nigeria built a 300-bed hospital in a few weeks. Not for IDPs. Racism??? On June 12, we have another deadline for roads and railways and even new Siemens electricity.

    But we have to do more police-wise and militarily to keep the murder of disarmed rural Nigerians down or who will benefit from the president’s promises come June 12, 2021.

    We see Daily Cumulative Covid Dead figures.  The media should give us Daily Cumulative Nigerian War Dead figures from 2000 or from June 12 -this week’s 150=150 George Floyds -no outrage in Nigeria.

    The people’s slogan for June 12, 2020-2021 could be ‘Do Nigerian Lives Matter to Politicians?’. PHCN has just taken light at 3.59pm on June 14 in a consistently poorly-led country. We await Buhari Vs Boko Haram/herders/ISWA war results during his remaining term!

    After George Floyd, we have another killing, a 27yr old African American in Atlanta confirming a systemic problem.

    Mr Rayshard Brooks, from bodycams and car-cam video, was unarmed, drunk yes, until he armed himself with a probably used uncharged taser taken in a fight with the police. ‘

    Shoot in the lower leg to disable’ must replace ‘Shoot in the heart to kill’ in the Police Training Manuals worldwide.

    By being executed on camera, George Floyd has exposed racist police brutality and the unjust justice system. Covid has concentrated the minds – no sports or other distractions.

    Who was the phone camera recorder? A 17-yr old, Darnella Frazier who took a decision ‘Press Record’. She joins many who recorded atrocities.

    Dennis Flores, also DF, has a project ‘Film The Police’. In Nigeria, appreciate the person who recorded the lady traumatised by the Nigerian Naval and many others.

    Honour DF and ‘Press Record’ in honour of Darnella Frazier. Every potential GF needs a Darnella Frazier! No video, no evidence!!!!

  • Silence is violence: Get your knee off our neck

    Silence is violence: Get your knee off our neck

    Tony Marinho

    COVID-19 records deaths approaching 420,000, infections 7,300,000, with around 13,000 recognised cases in Nigeria. Stay safe!!

    We have watched with disgust, the clinically executed and casually applied, hands in pockets, callousness and disinterested face of that officer who deserves the maximum force of the law. Though there are many good police there are also more like the kneeling murderer. And they are protected by law. We all saw the participation of three police co-conspirators, acting like ‘fellow gang members’ and their refusal to prevent the murderous outcome.

    We witnessed the ‘I can’t breathe’ and videoed pleas but total inability, being against the law, of the crowd of witnesses to intervene against the police action.

    We stood ‘eight minutes and 46 seconds’ at Rev Al Sharpton’s request at the service for the unnecessarily dead George Floyd, with all Black Americans and probably billions all present and watching courtesy BBC, CNN etc. (thank you).

    Following this murder, we witnessed an unending ‘Catalogue of Citizen Abuse Videos’ of hundreds of blacks and some whites being maximum-force manhandled, horribly held-down, tasered, attacked with excessive force using batons, shields etc. and even shot one, eight, 41 times by police.

    Martin Luther King Junior explains why the Black American has not risen. The American racist and the silent co-operators or co-conspirators enacted a lethal racist scheme to disenfranchise an entire racial group. A scam so far successful. They too fought in the War of Independence, the First and Second World Wars and every war since and are dying on both sides of the Covid-19 war front line. After decimating the indigenous American, the American authorities reluctantly gave Black American nominal freedom in the 1860s but the Black American was never ever equal, not given land or access to amenities which were given the European immigrants. Most communities had a black/white housing line- hence ‘you crossed the line’ a lynching charge! MLK Junior said ‘They were given no boots but asked to pull themselves up with their bootstraps’. They were asked to rise but with no assistance. Lynching kept them in their place.

    This was re-echoed by powerful words by Rev Al Sharpton at the memorial service for George Floyd when he said America has for 401 years had ‘A knee on the neck of Black Americans’ in every sphere of endeavour- health, education, employment, security, profiling arrests and a justice system deliberately weighted heavily against the Black American ensuring Black Americans cannot meet bail terms and fill jails, hospitals and mortuaries out of proportion to their numbers. He demands ‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’. Indeed, the authorities express fake surprise when the Black American does not arise. The authorities do express real unpleasant surprise when a few Black Americans actually rise and then plot their destruction. Imagine police having a target number of arrests of blacks. Reminds us of stories of our own uniformed authorities in Nigeria. What is it with uniforms worldwide?

    Indeed, as recently as 1922, you could get a licence to kill black Americans. The last lynching was of George Floyd 2020. This uprising is against police brutality and all racism forms to stop racism once and for all! Black Americans are tortured by the need to have ‘The Talk’ with their adolescent children about how to ‘behave’ when stopped-to keep them alive!

    Being back in America is associated with gross unhappiness from daily disgrace and indignities, daily delayed and poor restaurant and other services, daily racial slurs and looks and comments causing higher toxins in the body, less ability to fight disease, higher inflammation, increased diabetes cases and blood pressure and heart disease levels all adversely affecting  health and mental health outcomes for American black populations. They occupy poor housing, neighbourhoods, schools and health services – all carefully calculated to keep them, though freed slaves, in perpetual poverty and service. A society which allows the glorification of police violence in silence needs to change.

    There is a saying going around and a group – ‘Silence is Violence’ and ‘White Silence is Violence’; people are marching globally against police and judicial brutality. The greater dialogue must result in reform in the legal, police mentality and training, health, and education provisions everywhere.

    Even business is parroting support for ‘Black Lives Matter’. ‘Corporate Silence Is Violence’. Institutional and Corporate racism and slavery must stop. The Black American community must no longer be only for profit making by Corporate America.  It is give back time-big time. They provide products for African American consumption with no growth or increased self-worth. Worldwide, music has words too often steeped in derogatory words F, MF, S, N and B, integrated into all languages create low-esteem and glorifying violence especially against females worldwide.

    Back home, we have all these police brutality problems and more; corruption by politicians, civil servants, contractors and middlemen and police is a major killer. The needless deaths in tens of thousands by herders, Boko Haram, ISWA, terrorists and the ritual murder, rape, kidnapping and torture and murder of thousands including executions from Dele Udoh to the rape and murder of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa and Miss Bello Barakat and even infants.

    We must appreciate the invention of the camera phone. It has the power to overcome lies and can stand up in court. Teach how to use it constantly.

    They say silence is violence’. For Nigeria: Politicians – Get Your Knee Off Nigeria’s Neck’.

  • The Coronavirus diaries (10)

    The Coronavirus diaries (10)

    Festus Eriye

    Even a deadly virus has its uses. This week, Coronavirus found political application in the raging crisis within the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Governor Godwin Obaseki, fighting for his political life, wants indirect primaries used for picking the gubernatorial flagbearer. A technocrat parachuted into politics by APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, he’s not really connected with party apparatchiks who have spent the last few years chafing under his accusation that he won’t share the state’s commonwealth with a few powerful people.

    The indirect system favours him because the bulk of delegates would be his handpicked appointees.

    Oshiomhole and his allies, on the other hand, have settled for direct primaries – the tried and tested formula for longsuffering cadres to exact their pound of flesh from governors who have become too big for their britches.

    Everything has been falling nicely into place for the chairman and his supporters. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made it clear it would only deal with the hierarchy in Abuja over matters related to the nomination. That leaves the governor where his foes want him for now.

    But Obaseki is a fighter who isn’t going to take his humbling in his stride. If he’s going to go, it would be like Samson who pulled down the temple on the Philistines in one of the oldest examples of mutual destruction known to man.

    With him it’s been one week one stunt. Determined to frustrate the bid to oust him through direct primaries, he quickly signed a gazette banning all public gatherings of more than 20 persons in the state – except at the 5,000 capacity Ogbe Stadium in Benin-City over which he has power to permit or deny use.

    The measure is ostensibly to stem the spread of Covid-19, but no one is fooled that this is about the people’s health.

    Examples abound showing that at the height of the outbreak between March and May all manner of elections – with mitigating measures in place – took place across the world.

    A report by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems shows that municipal, parliamentary and general elections held during this period in at least 12 countries as far afield as Israel, Burundi, Moldova and Benin. But this comparison shouldn’t matter, after all people have pointed out that the strain of Covid-19 in Nigeria is unique and different from that in Europe and the Americas!

    Our governors are not the most subtle lot and they are not easily embarrassed.

    As part of their contribution towards checking the pandemic, they proposed banning inter-state travel. But last week a crowd of them in billowing agbadas hopped from Lagos to Abuja – not unduly concerned how their conduct looked with the ban in place.

    You could argue that as chiefs of state in their domains, they enjoy a certain level of exemption. That would have been acceptable if the object of their travels was health or other important matters. Rather, it was in furtherance of the political agenda of one of the parties to the power play in Edo.

    It just makes it awkward when they have to act tough against, or lecture, ordinary citizens following their example of crisscrossing state lines with a ban in place.

    Still speaking of governors, Abia’s Okezie Ikpeazu became the latest high profile figure to contract Coronavirus. He had declared not too long ago that the virus won’t make a landing in his axis because it was the only state mentioned in the Bible! Clearly, no one waved chapter and verse in the face of the virus.

    Last Saturday, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 marked 100 days of its management of the outbreak with Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, warning that even at three percent, the death rate was still very high.

    A day after his remarks, government confirmed what many had long suspected: 60% of 979 cases from the ‘strange deaths’ saga recorded in Kano State over five weeks were actually Covid-19-related.

    Factoring in the Kano fatalities with those in neighbouring Bauchi and Jigawa, we may well have had in excess of 1,000 deaths nationwide. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) records still list 361. So what’s the correct position of loss attributable to this virus?

    Last weekend, #BringBackOurLives got a bit of reaction with churches and mosques reopening in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and in many states. But with cases in FCT, Lagos and Kano nudging 8,000 out of the national total of 12,801, many had reasons to be grumpy.

    The PTF which under sustained pressure from clerics grudgingly acquiesced to the opening of worship centres, was quick to moan about the breaching of agreed safety protocols in several states where giddy worshippers simply reverted to business as usual.

    For their part, some religious leaders were not exactly jumping for joy at the conditional reopening. Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Global Community Church referenced Noah in the ark to insist that the doors of his church would remain firmly shut, until he got the go-ahead from on high.

    The even more colourful Pastor Chris Okotie of the Household of God Church totally rejected the guidelines rolled out by the Lagos State government – denouncing what he saw as an attempt by the secular to prescribe order of worship to God as “abomination of desolation.”

    Speaking of the abominable, the Anambra State government reported a spike in rapes following the Covid-19 lockdown. Director of Child Welfare Services in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Nkechi Anazodo, says that before now they only had 32 cases, but over 80 have been recorded in recent weeks.

    More shocking is the fact that many of the cases were fathers violating their own daughters – some less than 12 years old. There’s even the prospect of under-reporting as many victims were threatened with death if they spoke up. Perhaps the lockdown is one explanation for the recent rash of rapes.

    No doubt many Nigerians are weary of Covid-19, but there’s very little good news coming from those managing the pandemic. The PTF says rather than abating, it’s only warming up for take-off. So, buckle up for the bumpy ride ahead!

  • How schools may reopen gradually

    How schools may reopen gradually

    Niyi Akinnaso

    I argued last week why schools should not reopen until September 1, 2020. The basic reason is that the transmission of COVID-19 in various communities across the country is on the increase. Worse still, the outcome is at present so unpredictable that no permanent arrangements can be made about the immediate future, not least about reopening schools.

    Here’s how the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, put it to a Senate Committee barely 48 hours ago: “I must say that the virus is still very dangerous. We have not peaked; we have to meticulously plan. There is no timeline; that is why money is not being thrown at it just because it has been released … We don’t know how long this will take us. Even the budget that the National Coordinator mentioned is for a period of six months. We do not know how long it will take us”.

    Knowing what we know today about the behaviour of the COVID-19; the incredulity of many Nigerians about the virus; and the non-compliance of most Nigerians with the WHO-supported mitigation measures established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, it will be foolhardy to think of reopening schools earlier than September. Neither the science not the data of COVID-19 in Nigeria today leads us to think of reopening schools soon.

    Even in advanced countries, such as the United Kingdom, which hurriedly reopened some primary schools, have had to recant. Many of Britain’s primary schools vowed not to reopen, while the discussion about reopening secondary schools have not even started.

    Some universities in the UK, such as Cambridge University, have even cancelled in-class meetings (save for a few exceptional cases) and moved classes wholly online for the 2020/21 academic session. Some American Universities, such as the 23 campuses of the California State University system, have followed suit.

    There are three problems with reopening schools in Nigeria, where many dormitory rooms are as overcrowded as classrooms. First, the infrastructure for maintaining physical distancing and washing hands with soap every now and then is not available in most schools.

    Second, parents, teachers, and students often come from different parts of the country to many of the nation’s schools, especially in the cities. With the confession of the PTF that Nigerians are refusing to show up for testing, who knows what many of them will bring to the schools, if they were reopened while the infections are spiking without an end in sight?

    Third, apart from talking about planning for a staggered reopening of schools at some point in the future, what exactly has the federal and state ministries of education done in terms of preparations? Are there enough masks for the schoolchildren? What about PPEs for the teachers, administrators, and other school aides?

    What role are teachers playing in the government’s plans to reopen schools, whenever it happens? Have federal and state governments discussed with teachers and parents the social, psychological, and financial needs that should be met before schools are reopened?

    As for the universities, the idea of online learning is nothing more than self-deception on the part of government and many universities in the country, because neither the infrastructure nor the trained personnel is available in most public universities. Even in private universities, such as Elizade University, which boast of successful online classes during the ongoing pandemic, the percentage of students who are able to participate effectively ranges from 30 to 70 percent.

    If the situation could be that bad in the universities, imagine how poor it could be in primary and secondary schools. That’s why the idea of radio, TV, or online learning for primary and secondary schools during the ongoing pandemic is nothing more than a big joke. Of course, the government’s good intention should be acknowledged. Nevertheless, it is an intention that was never backed by necessary and appropriate resources. For students to learn profitably online, they should have been trained to do so during normal school time, not dumped on them in an emergency.

    A critical step toward reopening the universities is being taken by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board this month. The 2020 Policy Meeting for all tertiary institutions will hold online this year on June 16, 2020 out of respect for the NCDC’s COVID-19 protocol that prohibits large gatherings. The process of admission for 2020/21 follows the policy meeting and it traditionally takes three to six months from that date. It is at that meeting that heads of various institutions will agree on cut-off points for admission into various categories of tertiary institutions.

    The critical question now is about those who have to take final exams, especially school-leaving and graduating exams. These are the ones I had in mind for a September reopening, and that only if it is possible. Schools could be open between September and December for such students to study for, and write, their exams, while the 2020/21 in-class academic session could begin in January 2021, with a modified school calendar of not more than 12 weeks per semester. In that case, the 2019/20 academic session would have been extended to December 2020 for final year students and lost by others to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    However, this is a special circumstance to be negotiated with parents, teachers, and students by federal and state governments as well as proprietors. It will be unwise to simply assume that we should just move on like that as we are wont to do in Nigeria.

    At this juncture, it is necessary to address a lingering question on many parents’ and students’ mind regarding this year’s WASSCE and NECO exams postponed owing to COVID-19. To the extent that in-class meetings are required for these exams. I don’t see any of them taking place before September 1.

    A similar question is also on the minds of many University Vice Chancellors and Registrars. Some of them have been contemplating online final exams for their students. This is possible for those who have the infrastructure for mass video coverage, such as Webex, Zoom, Google Suite, and so on, to monitor the students. The problem, though, is that no one can guarantee that all students will have the necessary resources at their end to write online exams.

  • COVID; Exercise; Research grants; Floyd

    Tony Marinho

     

    COVID-19 records deaths approaching 385,000, infections 6,250,000, with around 10,500 recognised cases in Nigeria. Stay safe!!

    Exercise! Exercise!! Exercise!!! The gold standard is 10,000 quick-purposeful steps/day to exercise your lower body -legs in particular. It is easy to achieve the daily target by incremental efforts over days to weeks if your mind works with your body towards the target and sometimes with family support.

    Most people can walk quickly at 80-100 steps a minute -try it with your phone stopwatch. 100 steps a minute x 60 minutes =6,000, so 1 ½ hours walking will give you 9,000 steps and 1 ¾ hours will make over 10,000.

    ‘Walking is Boring’, maybe but try walking quickly around your sitting room or bedroom watching TV to do exercise and enlighten your mind at any time of the day or night.

    Go on, ‘get up and walk’ about. You can also ‘Run on the spot’, in the bath/bed/sitting room or while watching TV. Check, but you can run at 150-200-250 steps /minute or averaging 12,000 steps an hour and get to 10,000 steps in an average of ¾ of an hour.

    Walking and running do not have to be continuous but can be. You can break at will. It is your body and brain. To exercise the upper body, get bottles of water, fill them with something heavy-water, stones, sand and use them as you see in exercise classes and the gym.

    Carrying something heavy like a bag of books or a bag holding several bottles of water and transferring or swinging it from arm to arm will exercise all your shoulder muscles at once.

    Today’s lifestyle of sitting may cripple you tomorrow. If you are an office sitter and a home couch hugger, test yourself. Try to get up with no assistance from the sitting position.

    Most people use the arm rest or the table or ask an assistant to support them especially from the mid-60s in age. This is an early sign your knee muscles in the thigh and leg are weakening from under-exercise and could predict a wheelchair-bound future at some point when the muscles are too weak to allow you stand up.

    To prevent this, practice sit-stand -sitting without assistance 10-100 times a day. Walk around every 15-60 minutes when confined to an office chair or couch at home. Also test yourself by walking up and down the stairs 10-15 times a day -a perfect leg exercise.

    As you get older, your function will depend on how much muscle mass you have left. Only those who exercise and keep their muscle mass by exercise/workouts will be able to march muscle bound into old age.

    The rest of us, who spent too much time on computers, in front of radios and phones or sitting at meetings will be wheeled or carried into the future. The choice is ours today. And exercise your mind as well!

    There has been so much to steal in Nigeria, making Nigeria ‘‘A thieves’ haven’’ for s-elected, self-imposed and unelected officials and their corrupt collaborators over many years only because the thieves deliberately refused supervision or projects, misallocated and stole and allowed others to steal billions budgeted but unaccounted for and money needed to keep from breaking down or already broken down schools, universities, roads, railways and medical services ‘Great Again’.

    Nigerian authorities almost since 1960 have failed their National Examination attested to in the sworn National Oath, Anthem and Pledge to continue to grow the country and fund and service honesty all aspects of research, practical aspects of education and sport and health leading to a politically caused backtracking of the nation.

    Regretfully, all the appeals and strikes over 50 years by Nigeria’s professionals including teachers and lecturers, all medical personnel, pensioners, and student bodies have yielded too little. Politics is the only recognised profession by politicians.

    It has taken a tiny nasty virus for the federal government, and even the CBN to recognize the need to meet the 30-year demand for medical research and biohazard laboratories nationwide.

    Politicians prefer unnecessary and greedy fat Salaries and Perks, SAPing the country dry which should be cut by 75% due to the pandemic, falling oil prices, high borrowing profile and disgraceful international comparisons.

    Nigeria plans to employ youth at N20,000 each for physical work-related jobs in markets, on roads and in the environment.

    This is better than just giving them money out of hand. Are young women included in this scheme and recruited for work in health facilities like orphanages physically and mentally challenged, and old people’s homes?

    Meanwhile America murders another citizen -George Floyd whose ancestors survived and died in slavery and in all likelihood were lynched as well probably within shouting distance of the site in Minnesota that the descendants of slave masters thrived and once again found a suitable excuse, the law, to murder a fellow child of God. ‘Where was God when they murdered our father’, his children will ask forever.  Why are police taught to shoot to kill? Is that justice?

    Similarly, Nigerians and indeed Africans die every day at the hands of police, armed forces, various ‘uniformed’ security outfits, and for many tens of thousands particularly in Nigeria to herders, Boko Haram and ISWA terrorists and bandits. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have lost 4,000 in 2019. Dead, no justice!

  • Why schools should not reopen too soon

    Why schools should not reopen too soon

    Niyi Akinnaso

     

    THE term school is used here as a cover term for all institutions used for the formal transmission of knowledge and skills, particularly primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. Much as I would want learners in these institutions to go back and resume their studies, I cannot dismiss my concern for the safety of the teachers, the learners, and the parents, who drop them off and pick them up. I define safety here in terms of data and scientific information about the coronavirus infections and not in terms of politics, economics, or emotions alone.

    The arguments for reopening schools, even tomorrow morning, must be acknowledged. First, no one can deny the learning losses of pupils and students arising from the disengagement from their learning for over two months. There is a high probability that they might have forgotten much of what they learned before the disengagement.

    Although federal and state governments as well as private proprietors have set up radio, TV, or online platforms for continued learning, poverty and poor infrastructure have deprived the majority from participation. Therefore, going back to school will provide the most advantageous forum and level playing field for all students to learn.

    Second, there are also social reasons for reopening schools. Children miss their teachers, friends, and school routines. It cannot be denied that the school provides a clear support system for schoolchildren and plays a major role in their socialisation. That’s why the social network established in school, from primary to tertiary level, often lasts forever.

    Third, many poor pupils in public primary schools have been missing out on good nutrition from free school lunch. For such children, extended lockdown may prolong their nutritional deprivation. It is doubtful if the federal government’s controversial provision of “dry food” to the homes of such students can substitute for prepared hot lunch served in schools.

    Fourth, in the absence of day care centers, many working parents, for whom schools function as care centers, were in a fix as to where to keep their young ones as they resumed work after easing the lockdown. For now, some have been able to get by with the assistance of relatives and others, such as teachers, who are not yet back at work. However, the problem will escalate, when the lockdown is fully removed, without reopening schools.

    Finally, there are pressing economic reasons to resume work and reopen schools. The damage caused to the economy and to education could cancel out the benefits of continued lockdown and school shutdown. Conversely, however, the damage caused by premature school reopening could cancel out the health safety being secured by the lockdown.

    Against the above backgrounds, the argument really is not whether schools should reopen. The question is when and how. If it is agreed that the reopening of schools should be contingent on health safety, then there is no sign at the moment that we have reached the safe level of COVID-19 infections to warrant reopening schools.

    For one thing, the data on infection rates in different parts of the country do not support reopening schools any time soon. The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, admitted on Moday, June 1, during the Presidential Task Force briefing, that the scientists still do not support the reopening of schools, but without providing the data for their conclusion.

    The data suggest (1) that the country has entered the community transmission phase of the COVID-19 infections; (2) that the rate of infections is growing at an exponential rate; and (3) that the country has not even reached the peak of infections.

    Here’s why: At the end of February, 2020, there was only one case in a single state. By the end of March, the infections had spread to 11 states with 139 cases. Alarmed by the growing rate of infections, the first phase of lockdown was imposed on the hotspots of Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital territory. Other states soon followed with variations of the lockdown to suit local circumstances.

    The lockdown notwithstanding, the cases grew to 1,932, covering 34 states, by the end of April, 2020, forcing an extension of the lockdown. However, by May 3, 2020, when the cases were at 2,388, the federal government decided to ease the lockdown, even as hundreds were dying in Kano in what were described as “mystery deaths”, but later found to be consistent with COVID-19 infections.

    Phase-1 of the lockdown was extended on May 20, while infections stood at 6,000. However, by May 31, just 11 days later, Nigeria had surpassed the 10,000 mark. This made Nigeria (10,162) the third most infected country in Africa, after South Africa (32,683) and Egypt (24,985). As of the time of writing (Monday, June 1, 2020), infection cases stood at 10, 578, with 299 deaths.

    The above data show that nearly 10,000 cases occurred within the month of May alone, with the highest single day infections of 553 occurring on May 31, 2020. Besides, nearly half of all cases since February occurred within the last two weeks alone. These data confirm that the infection rates in Nigeria are on the rise and have yet to peak.

    Clearly, the rationale for further easing of the lockdown and for allowing churches and mosques to congregate begs for explanation. True, the PTF provided guidelines; but the same PTF had often lamented the noncompliance of Nigerians with necessary mitigation measures.

    If adults have problems complying with mitigation measures, imagine what chaos will be on display in schools and universities if they were to reopen as infection rates are rising. If, as elsewhere, passing the peak for new infections is the first hurdle for reopening schools, then it is clear that Nigeria is not yet there.

    Fortunately, in the middle of composing this piece, the PTF acknowledged the foregoing and has deferred the reopening of schools until further notice. Whatever the PTF means by “further notice”, it should not be earlier than September 1, 2020. How this should be done will be addressed next week.

    The point should not be lost that educational institutions are sites of convergence, bringing together teachers, students, and parents from different parts of the country. This creates potent sites for community transmission, especially as infections are spiking. Even in South Korea, where infections were down, the reopening of schools led to another spike, which sent the country into yet another lockdown.

     

     

  • Franklin Ibukun Akinkoye (1955-2020)

    Franklin Ibukun Akinkoye (1955-2020)

    Niyi Akinnaso

    It is customary for Idanre elders to mourn silently and operate in the background to rally and console the survivors, when a younger person dies. That would have been my role were I in the United States, when Franklin Ibukun Akinkoye passed on on May 7, 2020.

    I now use this medium to console his immediate family in the United States—his wife, Jumoke; his children, Kemiade, Olukayode, and Ayodeji; and his granddaughter, Riley—and his extended family in Nigeria, especially his older sister, Ademoji. I also use this medium to record Frank’s legacies for posterity. He was a role model, too professional, too successful, too kind, and too friendly to be buried unsung.

    His was a true success story of rising from humble origins to the pinnacle of his profession. But the profession for which he became famous was not his first choice. He had planned very early to be a drummer. His inspiration came from Asilu, a talking drum expert, who mesmerized the youths with dexterous performances during funerary precessions in Idanre in the 1950s and 1960s. Name any tune and Asilu’s talking drum would “sing” it for you with rich cadence. Convinced that he was going to be another Asilu, Frank would abscond from school and follow the master drummer on funerary processions, literally forcing himself on the drummer as an apprentice.

    Thanks to a vigilant teacher and a family member, who intervened and got him back to school, we would never have been exposed to the managerial astuteness of the well groomed financial management expert and outstanding human being that Frank eventually became.

    Once he knew his drumming ambition was no longer feasible, Frank focused on his studies and still completed his primary and secondary education in record time. After secondary education, his next target was further education in the United States. This is where his financial planning began.

    He needed to raise funds, and the surest way to do so was to get a job. Fortunately, he landed one with the Nigerian Ports Authority in Lagos. He worked there for three years and saved enough funds to get him to the United States in 1979.

    After initial struggles in New York, Frank eventually settled in Maryland, where he attended the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. He enrolled in the School of Business and Public Administration, majoring in Business and Finance.

    His training at UDC prepared him for his eventual career as a financial management expert. He was first hired in 1990 as Financial Advisor by the Prudential Insurance Company of America and later became President of Continental Insurance and Financial Services Company. He was also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Black Rock Corporation.

    These positions prepared his elevation to membership of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors; the President’s Council; the Masters Council; and the Million Dollar Roundtable. In the course of serving in the finance industry for at least three decades, Frank established a wide network of business associates and friends across various professions and government circles.

    He deployed this social capital and his personal fortune to the services of his immediate family, his social and business associates in Maryland, and his home state of Ondo in Nigeria.

    Frank was a pioneering member of two major umbrella entities in the Maryland area, each of which he once chaired . One, the Alliance of Yoruba Organizations and Clubs, brought together various Yoruba associations, while the other, African Business Owners Forum Incorporated (ABOFI-USA), provided a forum for business owners from Africa to pool their resources and expertise for more profitable services.

    He used his leverage with the Maryland state government and rallied other indigenes of Ondo state to forge a sister state relationship between the Maryland state government and the Ondo state government. He also served on the Advisory Board of Maryland Sister States.

    Using the platforms of ABOFI-USA and Black Rock Corporation, Frank was central to the reception of the 25-member business delegation of Maryland State, led by then Secretary of State, John McDonough, to Ondo State for the signing of the friendship agreement between the two states in November 2012. This agreement paved the way for the official Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the two state Governors, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and Mr. Martin O’Malley, on June 7, 2013.

    Frank also led two successful medical missions to Ondo state, bringing doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from the United States and the United Kingdom to join their counterparts in Nigeria in providing free medical services throughout Ondo state. He also got various pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Nigeria to donate free drugs and medical supplies during the missions.

    Before turning attention to the state, Frank played a leading role in bringing the Owa of Idanre, Oba Frederick Adegunle Aroloye, Arubiefin IV, and some of his High Chiefs to the United States in 2007. In return for his unique contributions to his hometown, Frank was rewarded with the chieftaincy title of Atunluse of Idanre Kingdom.

    Frank had hobbies to which he turned for relaxation. His brief escapade with Asilu ingrained in him the love of music, which stayed with him throughout his life. Frank was also a sports enthusiast. But his favorite sport was the game of life: He enjoyed connecting with people as well as connecting people with people. He also enjoyed providing assistance and advice to people in need. Only those who knew him closely would know that, beyond health problems, his real pain in the last three years was inability to perform his usual bit of connecting with people.

    I participated, often as patron, in the medical missions; the Owa’s visit; and the signing of the MOU between Ondo and Maryland states. I also covered the events on my column in The Punch newspaper. Frank and I exchanged visits in the United States and he never came to Nigeria without visiting me. On one occasion, shortly after I was discharged from hospital in 2011, Frank drove all the way from Upper Malboro in Maryland to visit me at home in Franklinville, New Jersey, in the company of then Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his entourage. True to character, Frank opted to pick up our bills at an expensive restaurant.

    Thank you, Frank, and do rest in perfect peace.

     

  • The coronavirus diaries (9)

    The coronavirus diaries (9)

    Festus Eriye

    The Bible talks about the ‘noisome pestilence’ – meaning a disease offensive to the senses, obnoxious or objectionable. Covid-19 is all of that and more. It is deadly, frightful and noisy. The din it has generated has arrested every platform of communication known to man.

    But this week the World Health Organisation (WHO) began warning that Africa faced a “silent epidemic” if the continent’s leaders didn’t ‘prioritise testing.’ The remarks were made by the body’s special envoy, Samba Sow, at a press conference.

    Africa has the fewest coronavirus cases, accounting for less than 1.5% of the world’s total and just 0.1% of deaths.

    South Africa which at 23,615 has the largest number of cases on the continent, has recorded 481 fatalities. It has conducted 596,777 tests on its nearly 58 million population. Egypt with 17,967 cases has run 135,000 tests, Ghana with 6,964 cases has conducted 197,194 tests. Nigeria which has 8,068 cases thus far has only managed a modest 44,458 tests.

    The global competition for test kits and reagents has a bearing on the number of tests that can done as well as the cost – meaning one of the poorest regions on the planet would be expected to bring up the rear in this contest.

    Several days ago, the Lagos State government unveiled some interesting statistics. It had conducted just 16,000 tests relative to its estimated 20 million population. With each test costing between N40,000 and N50,000, there had already been an outlay of N800 million.

    Clearly, Covid-19 is shaping to be a very expensive affliction. Imagine what it would cost to test one million Lagosians.

    So could the reluctance of certain states to embark on large scale testing be down to the cost? Lagos may be able to take the massive bill in its stride, but what about the majority of states which even before the outbreak couldn’t meet basic obligations like salaries?

    Three days ago, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released figures showing Lagos generated a total sum of N398.73 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2019.

    This amount was more than those of Taraba, Gombe, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Ekiti, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Niger, Jigawa, Abia, Zamfara, Imo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Osun, Sokoto, Cross River, Anambra, Oyo and Edo which had a combined IGR of N375.2 billion for the same period.

    Some of the states with the least number of recorded cases are somewhere in the above crowd.

    While the testing conundrum persists, states are wilfully prising themselves from the octopoid grip of Covid-19 restrictions, even if they don’t really know what’s going on with the virus in their domains.

    This week faith and fear clashed again as they have done several times during this outbreak. The occasion was the Eid-El-Fitri celebration which many Muslims who had just been through a most surreal Ramadan fast were probably looking to observe in ways they were used to.

    Not even the cautionary voice of the Sultan of Sokoto – who is the spiritual leader of Muslims in the country had any deterrent effect. He warned people to pray at home and avoid large gatherings at mosques. Even President Muhammadu Buhari held socially-distant prayers at his Aso Rock redoubt.

    But states like Borno, Kano, Jigawa, Nasarawa and others lifted all restrictions for people to pray to their heart’s content. We should soon find out whether the governors were wise or the scientists and Presidential Task Force (PTF) were overly alarmist.

    All week there were continuing reports of the ban on inter-state travel being violated with active connivance of security agents. To checkmate the cops and make the measures more effective, Anambra State government took the drastic step of erecting a massive metal gate at the Niger Bridge between Onitsha and Asaba.

    Clearly, the reports must have been an embarrassment to the Nigeria Police high command as early last week, Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, summoned his commissioners to a meeting and ordered strict enforcement of the night time curfew and ban on inter-state movement.

    So zealous were the police that they embarked on arrest of doctors and other health workers – many who were returning from frontline work after 8.00pm.

    In one ‘only in Nigeria’ incident even an ambulance carrying a patient requiring medical attention was detained at a checkpoint! It had violated the Covid-19 curfew. It was enough for doctors in Lagos to down tools – even if it was only for 24 hours.

    This week, Nigeria breached the 8,000 mark for recorded cases of infections. Out of that number, more than 3,000 cases were racked up in just two weeks. It’s hard to say if this is the consequence of increased testing or simply evidence that the virus is defying the toughest measures thrown at it.

    Let’s return to a recurring theme: Covid-19 is just another money-making scam. Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, told Channels Television that some people had turned the pandemic into a full-scale business venture. He spoke of his Chinese friend who had made so much money importing reagents.

    “Out there in the Western world; a businessman is fanning all of this, making sure they sell reagents. Indeed, my friend out of Switzerland, a Chinese, says he has made so much money importing reagents out of the Philippines and shipping to the world. So it has turned into a full-scale business,” he said.

    “I can tell you this testing for coronavirus has gone eco-political. In the US for example, it is about the November elections and for some businessmen, it is about more reagents, more money.”

    So what’s new Mr. Governor? Businessmen would always make money from human misery. Start a war and dealers would supply the arms you need to do the killing. Contractors would make billions providing food to be consumed by combatants on all sides. Where there’s a need people would meet it.

    Smart guys making money supplying testing kits and reagents, doesn’t remove the fact that over 5,600,000 cases have been recorded across the globe and close to 350,000 persons have died – and only 0.1% of that on this continent which is supposedly being fleeced by the likes of Ayade’s friend.