Chinua Achebe in his ‘The Problems With Nigeria’ submitted that the biggest problem with Nigeria is its thieving and rapacious leaders, stealing and looting everything in sight. Perhaps, Achebe did not capture the entire scenario because bad leaders often emerge and sustained by the docility and the inertia of badly fractured and polarized followership by the forces of primordialism, clannishness and religious bigotry. Religion is supposedly an incredible machinery for the liberation of man from the manacles of sins and moral bankruptcy but today has suffered severe social reverses as result of ecumenical mercantilism and ecclesiastical profiteering in the domains of the Almighty God who from generation to generation has viewed the prayers of a sinner as an abomination.
On 24 May, 2020, I wrote to condemn the irresponsible way Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Ben Ayade of Cross River State are handling the fight against covid-19. Then, I suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari should for once see this pandemic as war against humanity and consequently intervene in these two states or better still declare a state of emergency in them. Up till now nothing has changed in these two states and with the passage of each day and with their continued irresponsible behaviours, these two governors continue to endanger not only the entire population of Nigeria but that of the entire humanity. This crisis started just in one Province in China, but the entire globe is affected. As an individual, I am so worried by the actions of these two governors and if by happenstance or a strange twist of fate, I become the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, these two governors would lose their jobs within this hour. Their actions are reprehensible and a threat to our common humanity.
Up till now some folks still do not believe in the pandemic or downplay its virulence and destructive import and it would be apposite to quote from a post to the platform of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the Nigerian Defence Academy on this denial which I read this morning:
“THE GAME IS OVER, ITALIAN DOCTORS FINALLY UNCOVERS W.H.O AGENDA. SAYS CORONAVIRUS CURE WAS HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD…
“Italian doctors, disobeyed the world health law WHO, not to do autopsies on the dead of the Coronavirus and they found that it is NOT a VIRUS but a BACTERIA that causes death. This causes blood clots to form and causes the death of the patient.
“Italy defeats the so-called Covid-19, which is nothing other than “Disseminated intravascular coagulation” (Thrombosis).
“And the way to combat it, that is, its cure, is with the “antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants”, ASPIRIN, indicating that this disease had been poorly treated.
“This sensational news for the world has been produced by Italian doctors by performing autopsies on corpses produced by the Covid-19.
“Something else, according to Italian pathologists. “The ventilators and the intensive care unit were never needed.”
“Therefore in Italy the change of protocols began, ITALY THE SO-CALLED global pandemic is REVEALED AND RAISED BY THE WHO, this cure the Chinese already knew and did not report FOR DOING BUSINESS.
“Source: ITALY Ministry of Health.”
From this post, simple application of aspirin and some antibiotics will cure covid-19. This is rather simplistic. While I am not a medical doctor, common sense tells me that if the treatment of this disease is this simple, it would have disappeared from the surface of the earth by now.
As usual the World Health Organization came for attack and suspicion. If this international body is against the interest of the Third World, what is the alternative you have put in place? None. That is the paradox in the developing countries. Unending lamentation within the context of inertia and dearth of initiative. Thinking that complaining, passing the buck and failing to be the captain of your destiny, will end your current misery, the developing countries will continue to be in the limbo of perpetual backwardness. You spend two per cent of your annual budget on health and you want to produce a cure or vaccine for covid-19! This is sheer illusion.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, the Emperor of Kaduna State is one Governor I had blasted several times over his high-handedness and his ethnic agenda in Kaduna State. But criticism should not be an end in itself but to produce the desired change and must by all means not personal.
For the first time I must commend El-Rufai for the able manner he has been fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Kaduna State. A victim of the virus himself, El-Rufai, arguably, is the most dogged fighter of the virus of the pandemic among all the thirty six governors in the country today. He has promulgated what you could call draconian policies in this fight. But this should be understood. We are dealing with human life and the sanctity of human life will always take precedence over all considerations. This is indeed very commendable and he has a clear and unambiguous message to the likes of Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Ben Ayade of Cross River State who are yet to have a clear grasp of the fact that the human life must tower above petty politics of insensitivity and primitive accumulation.
In the last broadcast to the people of Kaduna State on the current pandemic, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State left a message to Nigerians on how to fight the virus which I feel should be the right approach for all Nigerians to follow:
“Let us move FORWARD safely:
” a. Facemask is compulsory outdoors
“b. Observe physical distancing
“c. Remain indoors as much as possible
“d. Wash your hands with soap and water or use a Sanitizer regularly
“e. Avoid large gatherings and crowded places
“f. Run around your home to stay fit
“g. Diet is key. Eat immune boosting foods.
” God bless Kaduna State.”
God bless Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State. God bless Kaduna State and God bless Nigeria.
Toba Alabi is a Professor of Political Science and Defence Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna
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