Category: Special Report

Over 500 health workers have been reported to have died from Coronavirus, a thousand others have been tested positive, some have recovered while others are on their to recovery. Lack of access to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) has a lot to do with the medics who have been infected or killed by the virus, writes JUSTINA ASISHANA.

 

THE webinar titled African Physicians COVID-19 Panel Discussion was attended by African doctors and health workers practising in Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They shared their challenges in getting Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).

Healthcare workers rely on personal protective equipment to protect themselves and their patients from being infected and infecting others but shortages are leaving frontline workers ill-equipped to take care of the COVID-19 patients. There is a global challenge of limited supplies of the personal protective equipment which include gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, gowns, and apron.

The health care system is crumbling under the strain of an expanding pandemic and governments will not be able to handle the increasing burden if doctors, nurses and other paramedics fall sick.

Based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) modelling, an estimated 89 million medical masks are required for the COVID-19 response each month; for the examination gloves, the figures, according to WHO, are 76 million while international demand for googles stands at 1.6 million per month.

Recent WHO guidance calls for the rational and appropriate use of PPE in healthcare settings and the effective management of supply chains.

A doctor from the United States, Dr. Ona Utaama, said some doctors were using disposable and shopping bags to protect themselves. “Here, doctors use disposable bags on the head and feet because the hospital does not have enough to use and throw away daily. It is mostly used with the protective suit.”

For some of the doctors who could get the N-95 face masks, it is being treated like gold and used delicately and with care.

Dr. Ganiyat Abib from Houston said she brought an N-95 from an online store for about 57 dollars. “When they said $57, I thought I was buying 2 packets of N-95, only for me to receive two pieces of N-95. I wouldn’t say I was duped but I was desperate to have the N-95 and I am really glad I have it,” she said.

Another doctor from the U.S., Dr. Ismailia Bello, said he had been using the same N-95 for the past two weeks.

“The N-95 is very scarce that even with your money it will be difficult for you to get it. I have been using mine for the past two weeks. I wear the surgical mask on top of the N-95 and change the surgical mask regularly,” he said.

Doctors, said a medic from the UK, are contacting fashion designers to sew surgical masks for them to use.

In South Africa, according to Omotunde Erejuwa, the doctors have to buy their PPEs out of their pockets. “For your PPE, the gloves, sanitizers, infrared thermometers, N-95 and others, you have to buy them with your own money,” Erejuwa said.

He also said a lot of private practice hospitals had shut down their institutions because of lack of PPEs, adding that it would spell doom for any privately-owned hospital to have any confirmed case of COVID-19 because a positive test would result in the facility being closed. “Your practice would be closed down and you and all you, your family, staff and their families would be placed on quarantine. So to avoid any complexities, private practices have shut down,” he said.

Dr. Sabastine Tantuoyir from Ghana said: “PPE is the major challenge of health workers in Ghana and the doctors are doing their utmost best to protect themselves in order not to get infected”.

A doctor from Nigeria, who is the Team Lead of LUTH Isolation Centre, Dr. Lorhen Akase, lamented that the since the start of COVID-19 outbreak in the country, the price of surgical masks has increased while that of the M95 has skyrocketed.

On how the doctors and health workers protect themselves while attending to patients, she said: “They go in only three times daily to protect themselves and they are very careful about ensuring they equip themselves adequately when managing emergencies and situations when they are not sure of the COVID-19 status of the patient.”

 

Nearly two months and 873 cases after Nigeria confirmed its first COVID-19 pandemic infection on February 27, 11 states are yet to record a single case, writes ROBERT EGBE. How long will their luck hold?

 

 

The lucky eleven’

 

• Cross River
• Bayelsa
• Ebonyi
• Imo
• Kebbi
• Kogi
• Nasarawa
• Plateau
• Taraba
• Yobe
• Zamfara

 

SOME residents of the Cross River State capital, Calabar, sometimes flout the compulsory face mask policy of the Cross River State government.

Daniel Mgbe is not one of them.

The lawyer takes the threat of a COVID-19 pandemic seriously, whether there are security officials around to enforce the rule or not.

“I go nowhere without my face mask and I ensure my family does the same,” Mgbe told The Nation.

Governor Ben Ayade imposed the “No face mask, no movement” policy on April 3, following COVID-19 infections in neighbouring Akwa Ibom State, which has now recorded nine cases.

The state’s eastern neighbour, Republic of Cameroon, recorded its first COVID-19 case 29 days earlier and now has 1,334 cases as of April 24.

Its northern neighbour, Benue State, has one case.

Twenty days after its compulsory mask policy, Cross River is still COVID-19-free.

Cross River is not alone. 10 other states have yet to confirm any case of the virus.

They are Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Imo, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

The other 25 states have each reported at least one confirmed case.

According to data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there were 873 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria as of April 22. 649 of them were active, 197 had recovered while 28 were fatalities.

Lagos remains the epicentre with 430 confirmed cases followed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 118 cases and Kano reporting 73 cases.

 

How 11 states are fending off COVID-19?

 

The virus-free states have largely implemented measures similar to the ones in states battling the virus.

But Kogi’s case stands out. It is the only state which shares a boundary with 10 other states.

States adjacent to Kogi include Nasarawa State – to the northeast Benue State – to the east, Enugu State – to the southeast and Anambra State – to the south. It also shares a boundary with the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria) – to the north,

Others are Edo State – to the southwest, Ondo State – to the west, Ekiti State – to the west, Kwara State – to the west and Niger State – to the north.

Of all its neighbours, only Nasarawa was yet to record a case.

Nigeria’s two major rivers – River Niger and River Benue – which is a transport waterway through several other states, also meet in Kogi State. Yet, the state has, somehow, kept free of the virus.

The state has no COVID-19 test centre and is yet to test anyone for Coronavirus as at last Sunday.

Speaking in a Channels TV interview last Sunday, Governor Yahaya Bello said: “So far, so good, we have launched an app, and if nobody shows any sign or symptoms, we will not go out and catch anyone because we want to test anybody.

“We do not have any testing centre in Kogi but it is in FCT, and we have test kits in case there is any need to collect samples.

“But if no one comes out with any issue or reported case, what are we going to collect to send to any of the testing centres?

“I think our sensitisation programme is working excellently well, and our people are following our instruction.”

Kogi, like Cross River, is also yet to order a total lockdown, despite neighbouring states recording so many cases of COVID-19.

But Bello explained: “FCT is not the only state close to us. We have ten borders, and we have technically shut down and enlightened our people. By technically shutting down, we are not locked up.”

 

What has face masks got to do with it?

 

There is no uniform opinion as to whether face masks can protect against the coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that, provided you are healthy, you do not need to wear a mask. People should, however, wear masks if they are caring for someone infected with the new coronavirus, or if they are unwell and coughing or sneezing.

Several Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong and Singapore, advocate the use of surgical masks by those who have symptoms.

But the United Kingdom and Germany, direct those with COVID-19 symptoms, to firstly self-isolate at home and thus, have little need to wear a mask other than to protect others.

The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also does not specifically advocate the use of surgical masks. But it does advise the use of “simple cloth face coverings” made from common household materials to slow the spread of the virus and prevent people who may have the virus and do not know it – known as “asymptomatic shedders” – from transmitting it to others.

Face masks are also not compulsory in Nigeria, although it is generally used by government officials, especially at official functions.

That didn’t stop Governor Ayade, who has a PhD in Environmental Microbiology, from enforcing its use in his state.

Ayade’s academic qualifications seem to be to the state’s advantage because findings suggest that an infected person wearing a face mask is less likely to infect someone else.

Where both infected and non-infected persons interact while wearing face masks, the chances of infection is only 1.5 per cent.

 

Can inter-state travel ban help states remain infection-free?

 

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Wednesday settled on a ban on inter-state movement for two weeks as part of efforts to control the spread of COVID-19.

This might just be the key to helping COVID-19-free states stay lucky.

Several states, including Rivers, Edo, Delta and Osun recorded cases of the virus from infected persons who came in after defying lockdowns in Lagos and elsewhere.

Ekiti State governor and NGF Chairman Kayode Fayemi said the ban on interstate movement had been necessitated by the increasing evidence of community transmission of the virus.

“Following an update from the NGF Secretariat on the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, members expressed serious concern over the rising spread of the virus among health workers,” read a communique issued at the end of the meeting,” the communique issued at the end of the meeting read.

“The governors resolved to work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure that health workers are adequately provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) and are constantly trained on the use of protective gears.

“In order to strengthen coordinated implementation of necessary public health recommendations across states, Governors resolved to set up COVID-19 Committees at the regional level, headed by their State Commissioners of Health.

“Regional Committees will continue to interface with the State Task Force Committees on COVID-19 already established in each state.

“The Forum also received a briefing from the Governors of Lagos, Bauchi, Oyo and Ogun states who shared their experiences and lessons from the fight against COVID-19.

“Governors unanimously agreed to the implementation of an inter-state lockdown in the country over the next two weeks to mitigate the spread of the virus from State to State. Only essential services will be permitted.”

Will these measures help infection-free states maintain their status? Only time will tell.

 Dorcas Egede

 

OYINDAMOLA Oluwaseun Ajibare, a caregiver, is a COVID-19 survivor from Lagos. Ajibare took to her Facebook page to explain how she survived the virus. She, however, alleged that her employer fired her while she was still in isolation. She also said she suspected she contracted the virus from her employer’s 11-year-old son.

Ajibare, who assumed duty at her employer’s on March 11, alleged that she contracted the virus from her employer’s son who returned from the United Kingdom on March 23.

“The day he came back, he was coughing and having a fever. So, the mother called the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to come and test him, his brother and herself, since she claimed she recently returned from London. The NCDC informed that the test result usually comes out after 48 hours, which we all were anticipating.”

Ajibare revealed that the test result was not released until 14 days after the 10-year-old’s sample was taken, but the NCDC stayed in touch with the family, monitoring his temperature.

“While we waited for the result, the boy was always in his room, but as his caregivers, we always had contact with him. But I suspect that it was the day he came that I might have gotten infected because the day the NCDC came to the house to test the boy, I started feeling some symptoms, itchy eyes and aching joints, but I just attributed it to stress,” she said.

Ajibare’s test result returned positive within 48 hours and she was taken into isolation by the NCDC.

“The NCDC called and told me that my result came out positive and I would be taken into isolation. They also asked me to inform my colleague, Chioma Paul, who also tested positive. We immediately went into our room until the NCDC came with an ambulance and we were taken into isolation. This was on Easter Saturday.”

At the Onikan Isolation Centre, Ajibare said she and her colleague met four other patients. While at the centre, “we were tested every two days to determine our status and medications like antiretroviral drugs, Augmentin, vitamin C, etc were given to us.”

Read Also: COVID-19: Gov. Buni pardons 27 inmates

Ajibare believes that a patient’s immune system and mental state fight the virus.

“I think your body fights this thing and also the state of your mind because I was never afraid of the virus and stayed positive. I tested negative after nine days. I was the second person to be discharged at the centre. And before I was discharged, we had increased from 6 that we were when I got there to about 30,” she noted.

Having survived such a deadly virus, one would expect Ajibare to be over the moon with excitement, but that is not the case.

“I feel worse after being discharged than even when I was in isolation. I feel traumatised having suffered from the virus, endured isolation and losing my job all at once, plus the stigma that might come with it,” she said.

Ajibare revealed that she got fired by her employer while she was in isolation for asking to be paid her salary at the end of the month.

“Even while in isolation, she felt that asking her if I could be paid my salary was an affront. She went all out to lash out at me and declared then and there that I was fired, forgetting that I got the virus from her son who came from London. I didn’t pick this virus on the street. I was working in her house. If it was that I got the virus from outside her house, I could have understood her not being interested, but she was partially responsible for my being infected. Firing me while I was still dealing with the virus I contracted from your house is wickedness.

“After she fired me, she sent me a message to say that I stole her laptop and she was going to put my story everywhere to make sure nobody employs me. I was very depressed when she accused me of stealing her laptop and decided to call my agency and told them about the situation. When they called her, she denied accusing me of stealing her laptop. My vitals became very bad that the doctors noticed and I was forced to tell them my plight,” she said.

Ajibare hopes that the Lagos State government will address her employer’s ill-treatment of her because “when I told the doctors my plight, they equally complained to the Lagos State COVID-19 support team. I believe the government will look into it.”

She added: “I think the agency called her that was when she started threatening to sue me for N500m. It was her threat of litigation that made me cry out on Facebook.

“I’m out of isolation now and I cannot leave Lagos. I’m putting up with someone. As it is now I’m helpless in all ways. I’m even more depressed now leaving the isolation centre. I have lost my job and I don’t know how long this lockdown is going to take.”

Imo, the seventh most indebted state in the country in 2019, acquired a N187million worth ‘toy’ for gubernatorial use. It is the type used by international celebrities including Beyonce and Will Smith, It cost the state N187million, writes ROBERT EGBE

 

 

WHAT does hip hop royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z have in common with the Imo State government?

In 2012 when the couple gave birth to its first child Blue Ivy, it gave her the ultimate in luxury treatment.

Baby Blue Ivy’s first ride from the hospital was in a spacious custom luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

Other global celebrities who also use similar vehicles include Will Smith, Dr. Dre and Vin Diesel.

California-based Becker Automotive Design, which builds a custom-made version of the Sprinter van, describes the vehicle as “more like the cabin of a private jet.”

The company is right.

‘Epitome of luxury’

From the outside, the van looks like a relatively normal Mercedes Sprinter, with additional aerials. But, according to the firm’s website, the van is the “epitome of luxury.”

Each vehicle is fitted with fresh air ventilation systems, sound-deadening materials and upgraded suspension to provide a better ride. The sliding doors are electrically powered.

Aside basic features such as reclining temperature controlled seats, a minibar, a giant LED TV, a 10-inch LED screen attached to each of the six seats, and a full-fledged multimedia centre, electric blinds for when you want to have a little privacy, this Sprinter also boasts of other top-notch facilities.

They include advanced military-grade communications system to provide broadband and allow several simultaneous connections to the internet and an air filter that can withstand biological attacks.

Of course, the vehicle is often armoured, has a powerful V8 engine, run-flat tires, and a redesigned suspension that allow the van “to take its passengers anywhere in comfort and style.”

For those seeking to nap while being driven around, the airline-style seats can fully recline while providing a massage

Even the driver can have the option of a Burlwood steering wheel, GPS navigation and hands-free cell phone kit. The vehicle can be fitted with handgun or assault rifle protection.

Probably the most valuable of all the van’s features is an “executive bathroom”, which can be fitted in the rear of the van.

The custom-built wonder-on-wheels goes for a price tag often reaching over $400,000 (about N155million) each.

Depending on the specifications, some cost even more, like the one the Imo State government took delivery of in February.  It was said to have been bought for N187million.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy Declan Emelumba alleged that the latest addition to the state’s car pool was the ‘parting gift’ of sorts for Emeka Ihedioha, who was removed from office on January 14 by the Supreme Court after less than a year as governor.

The Apex Court declared that the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate Hope Uzodinma was the authentic winner of the March 11 poll and he was sworn in as Imo State Governor.

Ihedioha has denied the allegation. In a statement on his behalf by Imo PDP Secretary Nze Ray Emeana, he described the allegation as “a mere distraction from the obvious failure within the 100 days of the administration of Senator Hope Uzodinma”.

“The government of Emeka Ihedioha did everything for the benefit of the masses. We have checked the records and discovered that there is nothing like that. They can’t impugn on the integrity of Hon. Ihedioha. Nigerians know him as a man of impeccable character so let them saddle themselves with digging for issues to nail Ihedioha. They will never curry the legitimacy they are desperately seeking. This is a mere ploy to not pay workers’ salaries since February,” he said.

National culture of luxury cars buying

Elected officials are often accused of wasteful spending on luxury cars. The Eighth Senate which ended last year, allegedly spent not less than N4 billion to purchase Sports Utility Vehicles at a cost of N36 million each.

About N1.3 billion was expended on procuring vehicles for senators in 2012, a development that attracted severe public criticism. At the time, 109 cars were bought for the lawmakers, each costing N11. 07 million.

On March 27, the House of Representatives took delivery of the Toyota Camry 2020 model cars acquired for members as official cars, otherwise called utility vehicles.

The legislators had at an executive (closed-door) session on February 5, 2020, resolved to purchase 400 units of the exotic car.

The House did not disclose the cost of each unit of the vehicle, but the 2019 model is about N26.75m and N35.75m (for V6 engine).

It did, however, state that it had not yet distributed the vehicles to the members.

Imo is 7th most indebted state

According to Emelumba, Ihedioha ordered for the car “for his personal use” during his ten-month stint in the saddle between March 2019 and January 2020, but that the plan was aborted.

Last June, Imo joined the list of the top 10 states with the biggest borrowing in six months (January – June 2019).

According to data released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) last September, Imo, under Ihedioha, became the 7th most indebted state in the country.

The oil-rich state borrowed N52.6 billion between January and June 2019, pushing it into the league of the top ten states with the biggest overall debt stock across all states.

How the van was imported, impounded

According to Emelumba, the vehicle was shipped into the country a month after Ihedioha’s sack and Uzodinma got wind of the cargo through his “information network”. The vehicle was promptly impounded.

The commissioner made the claim last Thursday during a radio programme in Owerri, the state capital.

Ihedioha’s Supreme Court ouster, he added, was God’s way of saving the state from an “imperial appetite”.

Emeluba was reacting to a suggestion by Ihedioha’s Chief Press Secretary, Chibuike Onyeukwu, that Uzodinma should take tutorials on good governance from Ihedioha.

Onyekwu’s comments during a phone-in programme with Emeluba on an FM station last Thursday was echoed at another phone-in programme with IBC Orient FM Owerri the next day, also with the commissioner.

Responding, Emeluba said it was Ihedioha that needed good governance tutorials from Uzodinma because, according to him, the governor was “more honest and transparent in governance than Ihedioha and also better equipped in every sense to governor Imo State.”

He said God saved Imo people by delaying the van’s arrival until one month after Ihedioha’s sack.

He reasoned that no governor would ride a N187m vehicle while his people had yet to meet the basic needs of food and shelter.

“The car is equipped like Air Force One of the United States. It has a master bedroom, conference room, bar and other facilities. It is the type of car that only a monarch, an emperor or one with an imperial appetite will want to use.

“In the case of the sacked governor, how can one explain that someone who claimed to have been elected to rule an impoverished people will have the heart to be riding in a N187m car when the poor masses are battling with basic needs of food and shelter?” Emeluba said.

He claimed that but for God’s intervention which restored Uzodinma’s mandate, Ihedioha would have proceeded to become “an imperial lord and oppressor of the people.”

The commissioner also alleged that Ihedioha acquired almost 1000 plots of land from two communities in Ngor Okpala under false pretences while in office.

By Dakuku Peterside

 

I DON’T think there is anybody who met Abba Kyari and didn’t have enormous respect for him. He had a calm mien from long years of being in public and private sectors; he was always willing to offer admonitions where necessary. Everybody loved him and he carried on with the functions of his office with simplicity and humility.

He was a pillar behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and always did his best for the progress of the country.

We will surely miss his fatherly disposition and managerial acumen in the discharge of his responsibilities to the president and Nigeria.

He was a diligent and resourceful administrator who left indelible prints in the sands of time and would forever be remembered by all those he came across in his private, business and public endeavours.

Every sector of the Nigerian economy is affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The agricultural sector, the service and manufacturing sectors have been weakened and urban employment severely battered. In this economic policy piece, ex-Lagos State Governor ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU argues that the government must enact countervailing measures so that the economy will not suffer palpable contraction.

 

 

POLICY BACKGROUND

The coronavirus has changed the modern world with a velocity un-foretold. To protect their populations, nations have taken unprecedented steps in closing down cities, halting socio-economic activities and quarantining vast numbers of people.

Given the lethality of the disease, the public health measures have been prudential. If such action were not taken, the toll of this pandemic might rival the 1958 Asian Flu which took over 1 million people or, worse, the 1918 Spanish Flu where an estimated 50 million people passed away.

While the public health measures may save lives, their economic consequences have been brutal enough to place large numbers of people in a different form of jeopardy. We face a trade-off between certain pandemic and possible widespread deprivation. Having to make this dismal trade-off between a currently incurable sickness and significant economic contraction is a dilemma no nation wishes to face. However, it is the one upon us.

The Nigerian government acted wisely to suppress the virus. Our health system and medical facilities simply cannot cope with legions of cases. The capacity and aptitude of government are more suited to dealing with the economic fallout of the public health restrictions than in dealing with the medical complexities of a contagion no one fully understands.

The economic pain suffered by the private sector can be counterbalanced by government fiscal and monetary policies that stimulate the flagging economy. We dare not underestimate the twin dangers posed by the virus itself and the economic consequences of the public health response. Our goal must be that the people live neither with disease nor in hunger. This situation presents a historic chance to establish a more beneficial social contract between the government and the governed. If we so utilise this moment, it will be recorded as a pivotal one in our national history. If we allow this moment to slip, history will not be obliged to treat us with great mercy.

THE ECONOMIC SITUATION

To stop the viral spread, the world has gone into self-induced economic contraction. Most recessions have their roots in a crisis born first in the financial sector. We should sound an even louder alarm when contraction befalls the financial sector and real economy at the same time. When both experience a steep downturn simultaneously, there exists the true danger of descending into something worse than recession.

The global economy has turned against us. Oil prices have steeply fallen. The price may rebound but not nearly enough to return to customary levels. The resultant revenue loss impairs the naira exchange rate. In general, the price of imports per unit has become dearer. Thus, the wise policy suggests limiting our imports during this emergency to save hard currency and protect the exchange rate.

Nigeria’s private-sector economy can be divided into three broad sectors: 1) Agriculture, 2) Service and 3) Industry. Each sector has been affected by this crisis but with different degrees of severity and, in some instances, in entirely different ways.

Most Nigerians are engaged in low-level agricultural production in rural areas. Thus far, the coronavirus is mostly in urban areas and not in rural communities. Because of their relative isolation and the nature of their work, most farmers can continue their vocation. This means the supply of domestically produced food staples should not materially fall. With the reduction in imports, demand for their crops should accordingly rise. Unfortunately, that increased demand cannot translate into actual sales because of the drop in aggregate income suffered by the urban population. This loss of demand, coupled with restrictions on movement and public marketplace hours, creates great uncertainty for farmers. The uncertainty means farmers and consumers cannot engage in adequate and rational price discovery. The cost of the same item may vary significantly from one location to another. Additionally, farmers engaged in non-food crop production will suffer much greater uncertainty as well as greater lost demand for their products than those who cultivate staple foods.

The farmer is burdened with too much uncertainty for any good to come of it. The government can do a lot to diminish the uncertainty by assuring farmers a minimum price for select staples. This can be done through the reestablishment of commodity boards. See Recommendation 3 below for more detail.

The urban workforce is mostly engaged in the service sector with a minority of workers involved in industrial manufacturing. Much of the urban labour force has been made idle. The hiring of services such as hair care, taxi driving, artisanal crafts, tailoring, etc., will be substantially deferred at this moment. These people work in businesses that are mostly small and medium-sized. The firms do not have ample cash reserves nor can they borrow funds given the high-interest rates.

Unemployment has quickly skyrocketed to levels only witnessed in economic depressions. Many families have no money at all. Other families have very little money, perhaps enough to last a few more days. Yet, real life is not some abstract economics book where a person can immediately adjust his demand for goods strictly correspond with his supply of money. Despite the paucity of money, demand for life’s essentials cannot fall below the minimum required to survive. The money-less family still needs food, water, shelter and, to a lesser degree, utilities. In a compassionate society, they should not be made to do without.

Most families need relief. If relief is not forthcoming, these families risk hunger and its attendant suffering and woes.

SITUATION WITH BUSINESSES

Most businesses are small, service-sector oriented ones that have been roughly battered by the crisis. Without relief, many of these small businesses will permanently close even when things begin their return to normal.

The financial sector too has suffered. Foreign investment has shrunk as has domestic borrowing. Large businesses also struggle because the aggregate demand for their products and services has fallen. Yet, help to banks and large business is relatively simple. Such aid can be rapidly provided by the CBN. The CBN can lend large amounts of virtually non-interest loans to these firms with the proviso that the companies maintain their existing payrolls.

If we must hold to the restrictive public health measures, the people will need economic relief. Activating Trader-Moni and other programs will help many small-scale traders but not the average wage earner who just lost his job. Resort to the strategic grain reserves will blunt hunger but the finite reserve cannot cover all who are in danger. If we do not take additional steps to stimulate the economy and answer the demand for food, we risk a deep economic contraction that will prove difficult to cure. The worst of this dark potential can be avoided if the government is prepared to act in ways that not only feed people but protect the basic contours of our private-sector economy so that it can more quickly revive once normal conditions return.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Recessionary forces outweigh inflationary ones at this time. The agricultural sector mostly intact but hurt in part. The service and manufacturing sectors have been weakened and urban employment severely battered. The economy will suffer palpable contraction unless the government enacts countervailing measures.

Suspend/amend 5 percent deficit limit of the fiscal responsibility law

The Fiscal Responsibility Act prohibits a fiscal deficit of more than 5 per cent of GDP. This provision was fashioned after the Maastricht Treaty governing membership in the Eurozone. Eurozone members never honoured the deficit ceiling even in normal times; it was too impracticable and deflationary to abide. Given the exigencies of the current moment, the Eurozone has completely ignored the Maastricht limits.

The fiscal responsibility limit, while perhaps well-intentioned, is, to say the least, inapt for a nation in our economic situation. The provision is based on two inaccurate assumptions.

The first myth is the belief that national government fiscal deficits are always harmful. The second is that economic conditions will always be “normal” even for the long-term.

Deficits run by a national government in its currency are part of modern governance. The United Kingdom has run a continuous, ever-growing deficit since 1694. It is not the worst for it. Running that deficit wisely was instrumental in turning the island kingdom into the pre-eminent world empire. For 90 per cent of its existence, the US has run annual deficits. During this extraordinary time we face, both the UK and the U.S. will record the largest yearly deficits in their histories. China and India follow suit by implementing unprecedented stimulus packages.

A government deficit serves to enrich the private sector. A deficit means the government spends more than it takes in. That extra amount goes to the private sector. As such, national government deficits boost private sector growth and activity. The only legitimate concern with deficit spending is inflation. However, in the present case, the threat we face is more recessionary than inflationary. A bit of inflation is the cost we should be prepared to pay to avert severe contraction.

Second, the efficacy of the law unduly hinges on the long-term clairvoyance of the legislature that wrote it and on the questionable soundness of the assumption that times will always be normal. No fiscal legislation can predict the future in perpetuity. The best fiscal rules provide sufficient leeway for future leaders to respond to the conditions of the day. Since the Fiscal Responsibility Act was first passed in 2007, Nigeria has already experienced three abnormal periods. The 2009 financial and banking crisis heavily affected us. The 2015-16 oil price recession heavily affected us. The present crisis is now heavily affecting us.

In normal times, the provision constitutes a handcuff on the federal government’s ability to stimulate economic growth. In the current situation, the provision is a mean straitjacket blocking the Federal Government from taking the steps required to salvage the economy at a time when only the Federal Government can do so.

The best step would be to suspend the 5 per cent budgetary limit for this fiscal year. Alternatively, the limit should be raised to 25-30 per cent to allow the federal government more room to make the minimum expenditures necessary to save the economy and the people.

Emergency sustenance payments

With the fiscal latitude provided by lifting the budgetary limit, the government can render emergency sustenance relief to most Nigerian households, especially the recently unemployed, via cash payments.

This will blunt hunger, maintain aggregate demand in the domestic economy and help sustain private-sector markets to the extent possible. Directed towards needy and modest households, such expenditure must be heavily weighted to local produce, not to imports. This will help mute inflation.

Such payments can be done in either one or a combination of three ways. First, we can designate a stipend for every household. The amount should be enough to pay for the monthly needs of an “average” household for food and other basics. While this may somewhat penalize larger families, perfection cannot be had at this time. Second, the stipends could be given as a form of emergency unemployment insurance to those who can prove they were relieved of employment due to the crisis. This would be more targeted at the actual victims of the crisis but harder to administer. This stipend would also have to be extended to owners of small and medium-sized businesses.

Third, we could render some form of payroll support to companies and businesses that seek to retain workers albeit they may not be fully employed. The stipend could help companies stay in operation while maintaining workers on their payroll. By maintaining workers, the company can more swiftly return to full operation when normalcy returns.

Payment of these stipends will require hiring additional government workers to augment the existing bureaucracies to implement this program. This administrative requirement will help boost employment and aggregate consumer demand.

Payments can be made quickly by using the BVNs of prospective recipients to make direct deposits into individual bank accounts. This will encourage those without bank accounts to establish such accounts. This process will bring millions of people into formal banking. It will also be safer and not lead to the types of violence and crime that might follow physical cash transfers.

Agricultural market and commodity boards

The agricultural sector is perhaps the least affected by this crisis. This is fortunate as it is the most important tool in mitigating the threat of widespread hunger. Yet the agricultural sector is still beset by uncertainty over prices and supply.

To maintain an adequate supply of food and ensure price stability, the government should re-establish commodity boards for strategically important crops. These boards will specify a guaranteed minimum-maximum price range for these crops to maintain and stabilise farm incomes as well as consumer prices.

Farm to market facilitation

In addition to the work of the boards, the government and the boards must take additional action to improve the transportation of goods from farm to market. Constructing new storage facilities in major urban centres will help maintain supply, keep prices lower and also provided employment for those constructing and maintaining the storage berths.

Import suppression

At this time, imports generally hurt the economy because they siphon much needed hard currency. It is imperative that we drive down our level of imports. The sole exceptions to this rule are medicine, essential raw materials and vital products such as petrol imports that we do not produce in sufficient quantities. On some essentials, we may even lower taxes and tariffs.

All other imports should be strictly discouraged through a mixture of policy measures including luxury taxes, higher tariffs and higher import processing fees due to the partial closure of ports of entry due to the coronavirus.

Maintain and expand school feeding programs

Even with schools closed to classroom instruction, we should continue the school feeding program at participant schools. But we must also do more. The program must move beyond its pilot status by expanding it to as many schools in as many states as we can, consistent with applicable public health measures. By expanding this program, we help feed our most vulnerable children while creating extra jobs and bolstering food production and farm incomes.

Diplomatic push for debt relief

African Finance and Foreign Ministers should join a coordinated effort for debt forgiveness, a “Debt Jubilee.” Alternatively, the World Bank and other DFIs should agree to a wholesale rollover of the debt of African nations by reducing the interest rate burden of African nations by at least one half.

Financial sector measures

The CBN should lower interest rates to single digits. This may spur some private sector and will lower the charge on government deficit spending.

To ensure the health of commercial banks, the CBN should give liberal access to its discount window at a virtual zero interest rate policy. To assist large businesses to maintain operations and their payrolls, the CBN can give conditional interest-free loans. Conditions could include firms maintaining their workforce and even hiring an extra 10 per cent for 2-3 months but at a more reduced wage. These additional workers should be youth hired under a temporary internship or training programme.

In this concluding part of his series on the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA gives more insights and predicts that bouncing back will be slow

 

OTHER states originally not included in the lockdown order by President Buhari have since joined the fray in a bid to contain the rampaging virus.

For instance, following the confirmation of five suspected cases of the COVID-19 in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Udom Emmanuel announced a total cessation of movements and prohibition of all events of any nature in the state for 14 days.

Similarly, Delta State government ordered the lockdown and restriction of movement. Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki also signed the Quarantine Regulations. This was pursuant to Section 8 of the Quarantine Act, the Public Health Law and other legislation to firm up its response framework to the coronavirus pandemic.

In Enugu State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has also ordered the complete shutdown of Ogbete Main Market, for non-compliance with directive to traders to vacate the market as part of efforts to check the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Be it self-quarantine, isolation, social distancing or total lockdown, The Nation learnt that these measures have come to stay, pending the containment of the virus. However, such measures are laced with inevitable economic impacts, particularly for the tourism industry.

The point is that as more people self-isolate and cut down on international and even domestic travels, in compliance to national and state directive aimed at containing the spread of the virus, operators along the value chain count their loses.

 

Lockdown compounds tourism’s woes

 

Home to an estimated 20 million people, Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial/financial hub; Ogun State, an industrial hub, came under the lockdown order because of its contiguity to Lagos, and the high traffic between it and Lagos. Abuja, on the other hand, is the nation’s capital and seat of government.

The total lockdown of Lagos and its contiguous Ogun, as well as Abuja, has compounded the woes of operators in the hospitality/tourism industry. From the initial postponement of events, conferences, conventions and sporting events, music concerts, business meetings, wedding ceremonies and burials, among others, organisers have since announced total cancelations.

Several businesses have also shut down operations. Factories have closed. Most of their expatriates who form the bulk of customers or clients of hotels, resorts, transport services and tour operators have been flown back to their home countries in Europe and the United States of America (USA).

The mass exodus of the expatriates and the fact that the few who stayed back embraced social distancing and self-isolation have created a precarious business climate for restaurants, bars, cafes and other businesses dependent on guests.

Even before the total lockdown, panic-stricken Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, reportedly announced a partially shut down over the threat of Coronavirus. Its management said it scaled down by temporarily closing down at least seven of its services to minimize the threat of the virus.

But, the management later back-tracked, clarifying that contrary to reports that it shut down its operations over the coronavirus pandemic, it is still open for business, but scaled down its services to minimise the Coronavirus risk. It expressed regrets that its earlier statement had been highly misinterpreted and misunderstood.

According to the hotel, the decision to keep open Eko Signature Hotel, Eko Hotel, 1415 Seafood/Steakhouse, Kuramo Sports Cafe, Lagoon Breeze and Calabash Bar, only was in compliance with the government’s instructions on public gatherings.

It added that a significant number of its members of administrative staff have been advised to work from home in a bid to check the spread of the disease.

 

Mitigating the damage

 

The FTAN has since embarked on sensitisation visits to tourism facilities in Nigeria, beginning with Abuja on March 19, 2020. Rabo said the sensitisation became necessary in view of the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sectors.

The association’s move to mitigate the damage on the industry via sensitisation resonates with the efforts of UNWTO, which, since the start of the current crisis, has been working closely with the wider UN system, including directly alongside W.H.O. to guide the sector by issuing key recommendations for both high-level leaders and individual tourists.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said the Organisation, in a bid to better consolidate and strengthen the response, established the Global Tourism Crisis Committee. It was formed as UNWTO prepares to launch a global guide for recovery.

The UNWTO-led Committee will hold regular virtual meetings, reflecting the need for coordinated and efficient action by the private and public sectors, governments, international financing institutions, and the United Nations.

While reiterating that tourism is the economic sector that has been hardest hit by COVID-19, UNWTO said in the coming days, it will release a set of recommendations for recovery. The document will highlight the steps governments and other authorities need to take to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector and to then accelerate recovery.

Pololikashvili said mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on tourism was necessary because “it is clear that millions of jobs within the sector are at risk of being lost.”

He also said: “Around 80 per cent of all tourism businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the sector has been leading the way in providing employment and other opportunities for women, youths and rural communities.

Indeed, tourism is widely acknowledged by experts and operators as Nigeria’s untapped lever of economic growth, because of its vast potential to contribute to the economy in areas such as provision of employment opportunities for the people, source of revenue generation for operators in the industry and source of income to all the levels of government through taxes, levies and charges.

The industry is also a major source of foreign exchange earnings through the goods and services provided to foreign visitors. In fact, the value chain of Nigeria’s tourism economy is mind-boggling.

From hotel to restaurant, transportation, destination management, souvenir production, packaging of carnivals, festivals and cultural promotions, among others, the opportunities of leveraging this key growth sector to create jobs, shore up revenue and add to the nation’s GDP are limitless.

This was why tourism was one of the key growth sectors upon which the Federal Government anchored its hope of diversifying the economy.

According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, tourism has become a focal point for the government hence, the resuscitation of the Committee on the Presidential Council on Tourism to engender the sector’s rapid development through policy directions.

Through the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), the Federal Government has also been partnering with stakeholders to promote domestic tourism while developing the right template to attract foreign tourists.

Unfortunately, however, the strategic push to reposition tourism to drive the on-going diversification has come under serious threat, following the imposition of a wide-range of travel restrictions and other measures put in place to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

Despite the COVID-19 threat, the CEO of Empire Travels, Ahmed Ojuolape, is not swayed, insisting that although it has slowed things down, it can’t stop tourism. “Tourism is the way to go if government is serious about boosting revenue generation, and this COVID-19 pandemic is only a passing phase that will soon fade away,’’ he said.

Ojuolape, who is also a member of NATOP, however, called on government to support tour operators by creating an environment conducive to boost the tourism sector.

“Tour operators should not be subjected to harsh, multiple taxes that could have negative effect on our business.

“We are the ones that know the business of tourism and how to sell our local tourist sites to foreign tourists. Government’s support in terms of friendly regulations and policies will go a long way in developing and promoting our tourism sector,” he pleaded.

Will government heed the plea and prevent impending total collapse of the tourism industry under the weight of the rampaging COVID-19?

While answer to this poser remains a conjecture, what is clear is that the situation is dicey, particularly for the tourism sector, where operators were already battling with myriad security challenges before the deadly virus added to the mix.

 

• Concluded

Health facilities in Nigeria and around the world have been overstretched due to COVID-19 pandemic so much so that stadia have turned to emergency hospitals to cater for the growing number of isolated patients. OLALEKAN OKUSAN writes on this emerging trend in the bid to stem the spread of Coronavirus around the globe

 

 

THEY are vast, glitzy arenas known for free flow of partisan excitement and impassioned rancour  by  sport fans but this is no longer the case as the world has virtually been brought down to its knees following the outbreak of Coronavirus epidemic.

Who would have thought – say in January –  that these hollowed pavilions dedicated to play and larking around by healthy sportsmen and sportswomen would today turn to silent, solemn spaces repurposed as treatment theatres for the sick and the infirm in their hundreds and thousands?

However, such is the use to which many sports stadia around the world are being put to as nations across the globe grapple with the spread of COVID-19.

With number of stricken individuals than available bed spaces in conventional hospitals, government was left with no choice but to seek larger spaces to accommodate the growing numbers of patients laid low by Coronavirus.

Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly approved the use of four federal government-owned stadia (in addition to National Youth Service Corps, NYSC orientation camps) as isolation centres.

The stadiums are the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos; Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan; MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja and Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.

Putting the presidential directive into action, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, went to work by liaising with the relevant authorities and stakeholders to make the facilities available to health professionals in order to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

In Lagos, clearly the epicentre of the outbreak in Nigeria, the refurbished Mobolaji Johnson Arena (formerly Onikan Stadium) has also been converted to an isolation centre for COVID-19 cases.

The make-shift 110-bed capacity centre was built by the Lagos State government in collaboration with a commercial bank to ease the pressure on the conventional infectious disease centre at Yaba.

Nigeria is not alone in taking this unprecedented step in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Many stadia in Brazil, Spain and Uruguay that have hosted epic football matches in club competitions and even the FIFA World Cup are now famous arenas are field hospitals today with COVID-19 patients fighting for lives on emergency Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds swiftly spread from goalposts to goalposts.

The Santiago Bernabeu and home ground of Real Madrid Football Club, the Centenario in Uruguay and the legendary Maracana Stadium in Brazil are being united as COVID-19 clinical outposts as they have been joined before now by “the Beautiful Game” as they all contribute their part to the fight against COVID-19.

The Madrid venue, which hosted Italy’s 3-1 victory over  Germany at Espana ’82, has been made over into a storage and distribution centre for medical materials in a Spain reeling with over 10,000 deaths from COVID-1i, including that of the mother of the Spanish Manager of Manchester City FC, Pep Guardiola.

In Asia, the Athletes’ Village built for Tokyo 2020 Olympics – including flats worth £1.6m – is now being prepared as a coronavirus hospital with capacity to take in 10,000 patients after the Games were delayed by 12 months, according to Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike. The complex includes 24 buildings and could eventually house up to 11,000 athletes during the Olympics – which will now run from July 23 to August 8 next year after being postponed due to the pandemic.

In the United States, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, famous for hosting the US Open, has reached an agreement with the New York Government for its indoor training centre to be used as a medical facility. The venue will house a temporary 350-bed facility in response to the pandemic.

Sports pundits wade in

What do sports administrators, coaches and athletes make of this global development?

To be sure, opinions are favourably disposed to it – even if there are post-COVID-19 public health and safety issues thrown into the mix.

Former Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Kweku Tandoh, observed that stadia were designed and built for multi-purpose use, a feature which readily makes them suitable for almost any activity involving a large number of people, including as hospitals and emergency shelters in times like this.

Tandoh said: “These days, sports facilities are now more aptly called arenas because of their multipurpose use. So in most cases, this multipurpose functionality is taken into consideration while constructing them. For example, Wembley Arena in UK, Allianz Arena in Germany and Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos are built for several uses.

“Many sports facilities all over the world have been used in times of national emergencies. During Hurricane Katrina, many sports facilities in Louisiana were used to accommodate displaced citizens. The Maracana in Brazil, Bernabeu in Spain, Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos, amongst others are now being used for Isolation/Treatment Centres for Covid-19.

“In most cases, turf protection is taken into consideration and this is dependent on the type of turf on the playing surface. More protection is required for a natural grass turf and little or no protection is required for a hybrid turf (like the Mobolaji Johnson Arena) in terms of turf recovery after use,” Tandoh added.

Foremost sports journalist Kunle Solaja corroborated Tandoh’s claims saying: “It is not unusual as it is happening all over the world. For instance, a venue used during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London has become an emergency hospital to treat patients with coronavirus. The ExCeL Centre, which played host to seven Olympic and six Paralympic sports at London 2012, is providing accommodation to 4,000 patients. The makeshift field hospital will initially provide around 500 beds with oxygen and ventilators.

“With football in the country suspended until further notice, more than half the clubs in Brazil’s Serie A have given up their stadiums as authorities in densely populated Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro seek to expand hospital capacity to deal with the crisis,” Solaja noted.

Three-time Olympian and Technical Director, Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, Chika Chukwumerije, believes it a step in the right direction to use sports facilities in time of emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chukwumerije said: “If that is what it would take to clampdown on the potential spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, why not? Many other countries are deploying this measure so there is a trend. In Spain, Real Madrid is allowing its facility to be used as a storage facility for materials used to combat COVID-19. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund’s Signal-Iduna-Park, which is the biggest stadium in Germany, is being converted to a medical centre to treat COVID-19 patients,” he added.

Famous grassroots sports administrator, Oluseyi Oyebode, believes the trend is global and Nigeria should not be an exception. However, Oyebode expressed concern that Nigeria’s infamous poor maintenance culture might leave the repurposed stadiums in bad, even dangerous, state after COVID-19 has been defeated.

He said: “Over the years, sports enthusiasts have condemned the use of football pitches for social or religious events. The major difference here  is the kind of maintenance put in place and the focus of the management which has been a major problem in Nigeria. The stadia may not be the same again due to the poor maintenance culture in Nigeria compared to the European stadia highlighted for the same reasons.”

But Adam Mohammed Mouktar, the amiable chairman of Federal Capital City Football Association (FCTFA), said he was happy with the way sporting edifices are being used  as COVID-19  isolation centres

“We are war with an unknown and unseen enemy Covid-19 as such we must deploy all assets and resources available to save lives,” explained the forward-looking football aficionado and  administrator.” Stadiums are useful in this time as they are central facilities that are somewhat isolated and have all the necessary support structures to act as makeshift medical facilities to support the fight to save lives.

“This goes to show their (stadia)  real value and use in good times for good of the game and in adversity as a life-saving facility for all. I am proud to see football stadiums being there in the nation’s time of need!

“My personal opinion is that life will change forever, we will overcome this! We are humans designed to be intelligent so we will have to adjust to new health measures and ways but it will be the birth of new innovations,” he added.

Meanwhile , a sports medicine expert Adebukola Bajuwoye  has advised managements at the stadia currently being used as isolation centres for COVID-19 victims “to ensure that the structures are thoroughly fumigated and everybody adhere to basic health procedures before and after use to avoid further spread of the virus.”

Bajuwoye noted that the arenas, which have become handy in Nigeria and other parts of the world in the battle against COVID-19, would make for effective monitoring of suspected victims.

He stated that COVID-19, which has crippled sporting activities across the world, required concerted efforts to be totally eradicated.

Bajuwoye said: “Using stadiums as isolation centres to treat or quarantine COVID-19 patients is not bad. All we are praying for is for the cure of the virus to be discovered quickly. But to curtail any further eventuality in future, the designated stadiums need to be properly fumigated to remove any trace of the virus in the environment.

“Stadia are public places where large numbers of people turn out for events. The facilities should be adequately managed and supervised to flush out traces of the virus in the arenas after they have served the ad-hoc purpose. Citizens and sportsmen and women should also ensure that they observe all the hygiene procedures in order not to contract COVID-19,” he said.