Lanre Atere
Sir: Lagos, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has again laid down the marker in the fight against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. It is not so much as what the hardworking governor has done, but where he had to start his journey as leader of the most populous city in Africa.
The governor took the mantle of a sick Lagos State, dangling on the brink of collapse, yet he confronted the mess he inherited from his immediate predecessor: from collapsed network of roads (misnomer), with multiple crater-size potholes at every stretch from years of deliberate abandonment; to a city sinking under the weight of mountains of refuses that dotted every street like infamous monuments.
But the governor has revealed the sterner stuff he is made of, and his mettle has exposed him as an astute and unflagging leader made for all seasons. As the famous English historian, Edmund Gibbon succinctly puts it, “the wind and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator”, even more so in the governor’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the day the first index case was recorded in Lagos State, Sanwo-Olu has taken leadership and emergency management to a giddy height that is hard to find in the Nigerian political space. The efforts of Lagos State government under his leadership have been commended, even by his counterparts in other states.
His proactive, professional intervention, couple with his eclectic appointments, including of the health commissioner, and other necessary measures put in place to manage this deadly virus by his government is very commendable, for the want of a better word.
The United Nations (UN) commended Nigeria as one of the countries better prepared to tackle the pandemic, and for its efforts and model being employed. Nigeria is one of few countries to get such commendation from the UN, and this owed, largely, to the effort of Lagos State government.
Nigerians at all levels must come to terms with the reality that Covid-19 is a matter of life and death and to prevent widespread and monumental death, government efforts must be supported and laid down rules and regulations strictly followed.
There is no shame in copying a working model, and so I charge Nigerian governors to take a leaf from what Lagos State is doing to fight this deadly disease to standstill. I watched press briefing by governors, especially in the South-south and the apparent envy of Lagos. But this is not the time to compete; it is a time to collaborate. Nigerian political leaders should not be ashamed to learn what their counterpart in Lagos is doing.
Governor Sanwo-Olu is making Nigerians all over the world extremely proud because of the standard he has set in handling COVID-19.
However, hunger is prevalent not only in Nigeria at the moment but in many countries even as the world’s economy shrinks and recession threatens. Yet, there must be a life before food. With no end to the problem in sight just yet, concerted efforts of the government and the people are required to pull through this crisis and the Covid-19 experience should be a wake-up call to our leaders and government at all levels to fix the country, states and communities as is it no longer fashionable or possible to run abroad for medical tourism.
Power and wealth are nothing, unless they are used for the advancement of society and mankind. Government should do more to provide palliative for people to cushion the effects of lockdown, especially for those at the bottom rung of the ladder; the vulnerable, SMEs proprietors and owners of businesses that are going under from the weight of the coronavirus. All that is needed to ensure the country pulls through with the minimal loss, not only of lives, but means of income.
The world, as we know it, has been changed forever by the coming of this deadly pandemic; we, especially our leaders, must change with it.
- Lanre Atere, Tamworth, United Kingdom.
Leave a Reply