I wish to start by apologising for my unexplained absence last week. As the above title informs, I decided to have my summer at Igbo-Ukwu, where network quality is probably among the worst in Nigeria. As you will soon see, rather than resting during this summer, I was so busy doing ‘this and that’ to the extent that I forgot several of my responsibilities. I hope you accepted my sincere mea culpa.
Sometimes in July, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, (whom I have commended in recent times for his exemplary and professional commitment to this Coro War(C-war)), projected that Coro would peak in Lagos this August and that the confirmed cases could go as high as 120,000! It was an alarming projection, but mercifully, like most modelling situations, it did not come to become. Confirmed cases in Lagos as at 24/8/20 were 17,894 out of 52,540 nationwide, barely 15 percent of the projection.
My joy has however been cut short by the fact that Prof Abayomi himself has unfortunately become afflicted by the mean virus. You see why our people ask the native doctor who cures diarrhoea how sure he is of his immunity. I am sending my message of solidarity to him through this medium and pray that the good Lord, whom he serves by serving humanity, should show mercy. And on top of this he has assured that he remained committed to the C-War!
I am glad that Geoffrey Onyeama, who caught the virus despite his “three layers of protection,” has recovered and that Omotola Jolade-Ekehinde is making commendable improvement. However it is saddening that the family of Senator Kasamu had to contend with his death as well as the queer, uncharitable condolence message from Obasanjo. Even then, his statement that ‘no legal, political, cultural, social or even medical manoeuvre could stop the cold hand of death when the Creator of all of us decides that the time is up’. Surely, it shall come to pass for all of us at a time, place and circumstance that are beyond our knowledge and control. Across the world, Usian Bolt is down with Coro days after celebrating his 34th birthday party, where all safety protocols were disdainfully ignored. And then 100 nudists at the Cap d’Agde, one of the most popular naturist resorts in Europe, have tested positive as they holidayed. There have also been a lot of hush-hush developments in the area of vaccine and treatment protocols.
It is also noteworthy that people are celebrating their victories over Coro and the associated luck-up, lock-down and lock-in, in diverse ways. A crowded body-to-body party was hosted in Wuhan, the author of this coro, as they celebrated 3 months without any fresh case
About 2 weeks ago, Russia announced the development of the world’s first Coro vaccine, which offers a two-year immunity. Before then, WHO and partners had launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to speed up the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. It has continuously emphasised the equitable angle to the vaccine access. However, how can we discuss equitable access when Britain, with a population of 68m and 374k cases as at 24/8/20 has ordered 90 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines (still under development) from pharmaceutical companies Novavax, (US) and Jansen (Belgium)?
So, the scramble has already started for vaccines that are still in the pipeline! Meanwhile China has approved an emergency usage of the vaccines developed by a select number of domestic developers while the US has also granted emergency authorisation for the application of plasma to treat “coronised” people (70,000 treated so far). In Madagascar, the health minister has been sacked for seeking external medical help without consultation and authorisation. The background to the study is that the country that promoted an herbal mixture suddenly became overwhelmed with Coro and the health minister, out of frustration or desperation, sought foreign assistance.
And as we are caucusing and even demonstrating for the reopening of schools, bandits had abducted students who were writing their WAEC papers in Kaduna (Prince Academy Damba-Kasaya in Kunai ward of Chikun LGA, Southern Kaduna). While students of Government Girls’ College, Doma, and Government Science Secondary School Gombe, Gombe state, have tested positive for COVID-19. There was also another in Akwa-Ibom State. They still wrote their exams but these evidence the challenges that we face in this C-War. In South Korea, all schools around Seoul have again been closed in deference to Oga-Coro!
It is also noteworthy that people are celebrating their victories over Coro and the associated luck-up, lock-down and lock-in, in diverse ways. A crowded body-to-body party was hosted in Wuhan, the author of this coro, as they celebrated 3 months without any fresh case. A 103-year-old Michigan woman, Dorothy Pollack has celebrated an end to coronavirus quarantine in grand style by getting a tattoo (of a frog of all things!) and also going on a bike ride after she had been in Coro-induced prison for about 100 days! And as we are shouting of economic meltdown and distress, a Chinese fellow resident in the US had contracted an Israeli Company, Yvel (Globalisation at work) to produce a custom-made Gold and diamond facemask worth $1.5m for him (Yes. $1.5m for JUST a face mask). The 18-karat white gold mask will be decorated with 3,600 white and black diamonds and fitted with top-rated N99 filters. And here is the son of man, adorning my own hand-made serviette-based face masks!
Now, to my summer holidays. I had planned my annual summer vacation, an exclusive privilege of those most of who do not produce anything and yet they spend as if money were running out of fashion. You want me to mention them? You are on your own. Unfortunately, this same coro scattered all my plans. The Nigerian government closed our land borders in August 2019 and then, there was international lockdown, with all the airports, planes and pilots quarantined! While working on how to retrieve all the hard-currency paid to all the flight agents and tour consultants, I decided to head to Igbo-Ukwu, my hometown and the unarguably the origin of Igbo, and probably, black civilisation.
The tourist attractions include the Anozie compound of Umunwadim, from which the historic ancient bronze works were excavated, the Federal and state museums, the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, the Yam House, which hosts the National New Yam Festival, the Shaw Institute for Cultural Arts (SICA) the mmonwu (masquerade) festivals and the famed Nkwo-Igbo Market. Igbo-Ukwu is it and if in doubt, just consult Google and you will find the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Anyway, I travelled on 5/8/20, the same police toll-gates, the same bumper-to bumper hold up, got home safely, rested that day and went down to business. It all started with the Coro-Compliant Igbo-Ukwu new yam festival on 7/8/20. It was low-keyed due to the coro-season but all the essential ingredients were there. This took a greater part of the day. On the 8th, all the kindred had their own new yam festival and as the Ichie, I presided over the celebrations of Umumennofor kindred. Some individuals also celebrated their own family new yam festivals, including Chief Jude Osude, who is from my kindred. We convoked the First Igbo-Ukwu Political Summit to shape our collective political future. And then, a deluge of funerals!
My community was shaken to the marrows by the accumulated heavy-weight funerals within this period. Sir Just GodOkonkwo of Knights of St Johns International and a community leader of no compare; Lady Theresa Ogbonnia, a 92 year old, whom we were planning to celebrate her 70th marriage anniversary; Joe Umeh, an erudite banker, lawyer and edu-preneure; Nze Ezeakpunwa Ezeokana, an accomplished banker, who was unanimously nominated by his kindred as the Idu3 of IgboUkwu…There are also many more on the queue, including Sir Basil Onwuegbuokwu Osude, a brother and a friend, Ichie Ezechimelueze Igwilo, a member of the Idu- Cabinet and Ello Obinwa, a good man who just died last week and whose death sent shivers down our spines. He was too good to die but God knows the best
On 22/8/20, the cultural worth of Igbo-Ukwu was raised a notch higher as the Odenigbo Gallery of Arts was inaugurated. The proprietor is Uchenna Nwosu, (Odenigbo-IgboIkwu) a world-class and multi-talented Professor of O&G, who happens to be a painter, musicologist, photographer and a writer.
That was how the first phase of my summer went; it ended on 23/8/20, when I returned to the hustle, bustle and madness of Lagos. If you think I had just gone home for mournful burial ceremonies, it is up to you. But for me, that was summer. I am still planning the second phase, all things being equal.
