With relaxation of COVID 19 restrictions particularly inter-state travel, there has been an exponential increase in infections and fatalities. As at Monday 20th July 2020, Nigeria has recorded 36,663 cases and 789 deaths with the sudden increase attributed to relaxation of inter-state movements. And as a result, many states are emerging as new epicenters of COVID-19. While there is no doubt of the need to relax some of the restrictions for economic activities, the challenge is the unpreparedness of most states in Nigeria to manage the consequences of lifting the lockdowns and the wider COVID-19 challenges.
Through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Government has been trying to coordinate the fight against COVID-19 but most of our governors from the beginning of the crisis have continued to exhibit lamentable unpreparedness and irresponsibility in their task to curtail the pandemic in their respective states. Even with the increasing infection including some governors and state government officials, there seems to be a flawed perception that COVID-19 is a Federal Government problem with no properly equipped isolation centers in most states and the wider health sector in very poor and shocking states.
As if they are oblivious of what to do, all the actions so far have been very reactive and limited with no detailed examination of the health and socio-economic implications to their states. With the way COVID-19 is spreading and the unserious disposition of our governors, it seems that we have been told, “To your Tents O Nigerians”!
This is even more so with the embarrassing infighting and seeming lack of proper coordination of the PMB’s government. With open fights and disagreements in many ministries and parastatals, the question on many lips is who will save Nigeria from the emerging health and socio-economic crisis under a disorganised Federal Government, unserious and unprepared State Governments, and unseen and absent Local Governments. Just as we thought that the forensic audit of NDDC will help sanitise the place, it is becoming clear that the Interim Management Committee might have been constituted for a different agenda other than to enhance the forensic audit.
While Nigerians are bewildered with the shameful altercations and revelations between the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio and former Managing Director of NDDC, Joi Nunieh, the shock is exacerbated with the detention, suspension and probing of EFFC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu with some claiming that it is a manifestation of an incoherent government. If presidential directive through the Minister of Labour and productivity, Chris Ngige is not being disobeyed by the management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman seems to be in an unending power tussle with Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed over the management of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) with both claiming to have directives of Mr President, the same and only one President!
Imagine the management of NSITF countering the directive of Mr President and showing their supervising Minister unprecedented insubordination. If Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo is not fighting with the National Assembly, Abike Dabiri- Erewa’s Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) is accusing the Minister of Communication, Isa Ali Patani of eviction from Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) building. Interestingly and embarrassingly, all the combatants are members of the same party but as a friend said, the Centre seems unable to hold evident in both APC and the Federal government.
Across the states and local governments, the story is the same. While most of the second term governors are mainly focused on how they will become the president or senator in 2023, the first term ones are completely fixated on how to secure their second term irrespective of their performance. For local government, there is really nothing to say as most exist mainly to share money among respective political elites. With such disorganisation, unpreparedness and ineffectiveness in all levels of our government, the fate of Nigerians is in serious jeopardy with COVID-19 and related socio-economic crises.
As Nigeria is ranked as the poverty capital of the world with over 100 million Nigerians described as extremely poor, the appropriate question and focus of every governor and local government chairman/lady should be on how these vulnerable Nigerians will survive during and after COVID-19. But alas, this is Nigeria!
While the Federal Government has launched the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan, a critical examination reveals that it neither has the requisite details nor the inclusive formulation required for sustainable and effective implementation. For instance, while it is stated that about N635 billion will be used for agricultural development with the 36 states encouraged to provide 20,000- 100,000 hectares of land for farming, nothing is said about what each state will focus on or the implementation procedures.
Moreover, placing the execution and coordination of the plan in the hands of ministers erodes the sense of ownership needed for such a plan to succeed. In the same vein, if it is in a well governed environment, an informed and skilled team of experts should have been set up by each state governor since January 2020 to strategise and plan on how to effectively manage the COVID-19 crisis. With the spread and duration of the virus likely to be wide and prolonged, we should have seen and read properly thought and detailed COVID-19 policy paper of every state in Nigeria with convincing plans of how to mitigate and manage the crisis in terms of health challenges, revenue, unemployment, poverty, insecurity and business environment.
The above is how to respond to crises such as COVID-19 and not the unplanned and unprepared ways we are seeing from our government. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly further exposed the precarious state of our health sector. Of the 36 states and FCT, it seems that it is only Lagos and possibly two other states that can be said to have a reasonable public health sector. The remaining states can only be described as below standards and unserious.
With the global exposure of pandemics such as COVID-19, it should be clear to our leaders that the sustainable solution to our health challenges is in proper development of our health sector as the alternative of travelling abroad might not be feasible in certain situations such as this. Under normal circumstances, there is no reason why every senatorial zone should not have a well equipped general hospital with specialisation in two or three areas of medicine. On this demand, while some governors will argue that it is due to lack of resources, the truth is that it is not. There is no state in Nigeria that is not very viable. What is lacking from our governors is lack of focused leadership and vision to use the abundant resources of their respective states to lead and sustainably develop Nigeria!
Dr. Ngwu, is an Economist/Associate Professor of Strategy, Risk Management & Corporate Governance, Lagos Business School and a Member, Expert Network, World Economic Forum. E-mail- [email protected],
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