COVID-19: A call to Responsible Governance in Nigeria.

COVID-19: A call to Responsible Governance in Nigeria.

By
Isah Abdulazeez

The emergence of Corona virus otherwise known as COVID-19 in far away Wuhan, People's Republic of China in the later stage of 2019 has taken the world by surprise. When the flu like virus surfaced and was ravaging the Chinese, many nations of the earth took it with levity and kid's gloves believing that it is Chinese related. As the clock ticks from seconds to minutes and minutes to hours, house to days and days to weeks, weeks to months and the months rolled into 2020, it gradually started becoming a reality to the world that COVID-19 is not sickness that other parts of the world are immune to.

As it became clearer to the world that COVID-19 knows no boundaries and it's not a respecter of any nation, irrespective of social, political, scientific and economic advancement, the world started putting precautionary measures in place. Serious nation's started putting up strategies on how to curtail and manage COVID-19 should there is an outbreak. Some of the strategies include but not restricted to proper screening of entrants into the various countries, isolation for suspect individuals perceived to have had contact with COVID-19 prone countries, entrant restrictions on people from COVID-19 prone areas etc.

The above in Public Relations where your sincerely has interest are referred to as proactive measure to manage crisis. It is an established fact that it easier to manage crisis when it has not broken out than trying to manage it when it is on.

It is however disheartening that while nations of the earth with responsible and people sensitive government were putting measures in place to manage COVID-19 should it eventually reach them, our own leaders were not concerned about it. It still baffles my imagination how the flight manifest of a flight that convened people from a COVID-19 prone nations was not traced. The first trace of COVID-19 to Nigeria was an Italian who was on board that flight. To the amazement of Nigerians, no one has been able to get a full list of the people who were on board that flight.

Away from the a above, our leaders were busy holidaying and gallivanting around the COVID-19 prone areas in the name of official assignments. Today, the reality is here. Even when they return from such trips, rather than quarantine themselves and present themselves for test, they went about their business as if nothing has happened. This further upholds the belief that our leaders only travel out to enjoy themselves and not to copy what is being done over there. How will they copy when they always have fleet of girls in there entourage?

They are the worst hit. Today is the reality they have been running from. They are now left at the mercy of healthcare they have been providing for the people. It is disheartening and heart troubling to state that if COVID-19 had started in Nigeria, these leaders would have smuggled themselves, their families and loved ones out of the country to safe haven, leaving the poor masses to their fates. But God is not a man or a Nigerian politician.

However, like the biblical Egyptian plague, God is using the COVID-19 to teach the leaders a lesson. This is not unconnected with the fact that for the first time in the history of this country, there is an affliction that is confining the leaders to the shores of this country and they are the worst hit.
I am not a fan of those rejoicing in the fact that the political class are the major victims of COVID-19, I am however glad that they can feel what the poor man feels when he is admitted in the substandard medical facilities they provide while they enjoy world class services abroad at the detriment of our common wealth.

COVID-19 is a Clarion call on our leaders to see beyond self-enrichment and channel the resources of the nation to delivering good governance to the people. It is high time our leaders told themselves the truth and begin to go for restitution.

To private investors, it is high time you look to the health sector. This is an areas that  if invested in can yield good return on investment. It is now clear that if we have good and functioning health-care system, our politicians don't need to travel abroad for treatment.