Dear Mr. Governor
The commendations showered on you and your team as you strive to tackle the CoronaVirus are clearly well deserved . The damage has been global while the devastation has been profound in Nigeria, especially in Lagos State. The leadership qualities you have displayed have been exceptional.
This has prompted my firm to suggest that while the frontline belongs to the Health Professionals, the least we can and ought to do is plead with you to commence PLANNING now for the second wave of the deadly pandemic which is only a matter of time. We are dealing with a very aggressive virus which does not require a passport to cross borders or airline ticket to board flights whether first, business or economy class(not to mention cargo/baggage); customs/passport control are not a barrier ; it is not even amenable to bribery or susceptible to intimidation by the rich and powerful not to talk of pleas for leniency by the poor and the weak. We are confronted with a crisis of monumental proportions. The first wave crept up on us and almost took us unawares and largely unprepared.
In order to prepare adequately for the second wave, we recommend a war chest of at least N1 trillion. We believe that it is perfectly feasible to persuade 1 million Lagosians and friends of Lagos State – within Nigeria, the diaspora and beyond to contribute N1 million each to demonstrate that they care.
The fund will be devoted to building CAPACITY to deal with mitigation and prevention evidenced by state of the art (World Class): Isolation/Quarantine facilities, Intensive Care Units, research centres for infectious diseases, and specialist hospitals.
In order to prepare adequately for the second wave, we recommend a war chest of at least N1 trillion. We believe that it is perfectly feasible to persuade 1 million Lagosians and friends of Lagos State – within Nigeria, the diaspora and beyond to contribute N1 million each to demonstrate that they care
In addition, we need to accelerate our local production of masks, goggles, gloves, drugs, sensitizers, Personal Protection Equipment, ventilators, testing equipment etc.
We need to have in place an Exit Strategy that is ahead of the curve in an anticipation of the vaccine which would hopefully be safe and effective. We cannot afford to be behind the curve in the endeavour for antibody and massive testing with the emphasis on incubation/asymptoms/symptoms.
The main item on the agenda is the complete overhaul and thorough re-evaluation of: The Medical Defence Architecture, Medical Defence Assets and Locations, Medical Supply Chain, Medical Control and Command.
Separately, we shall deal with specialist training for doctors, nurses, health carers etc.
We shall also deal separately with aligning with global strategies by the World Health Organisation and other international initiatives and Nigeria’s national strategy as well as computer modelling and projections plus data gathering and containment strategies.
What we have inherited is chaos and lack of coordination along with fear and uncertainty in the midst of ignorance and poverty. Now is the time to replace them with a Real Time Situation Room
Warmest regards
