Early in August, The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) warned that the declining number of fresh cases did not signal a flattening of COVID-19 curve, identifying the woeful number of tests by the states.
However, last week, (18/9/20), the boss of PTF-Coro, declared jubilantly that tremendous progress has been made and we are beginning to notice that the curve is flattening, while he advised vigilance and cautious optimism. The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof Ujah had asked: where is the evidence?
On Monday, 21/9/20, when only 11 states submitted their test-figures, the NCDC repeated its earlier warning, asking us to avoid premature celebration. There are also reports that only Lagos, Ogun, Kano and FCT are doing serious testing.
It appears that we have started behaving like those in a curve-flattened environment. Lagos State, the unchallenged epicentre of the pandemic has opened up everything and everywhere and other states have also followed suit. Individuals have also forgotten about the new normal so soon. Students who returned to school keep all the protocols inside the classrooms but ignore them even within the school compound.
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As at 21/9/20, Nigeria has conducted just 480,000 tests, 0.25 percent of an estimated population of 200 million. In all sincerity, and keeping “mathemagics” aside, can a sample of .25 percent help us affirm the situation of things? Let the quants bother about this as we review the trend across the globe, where oga-coro is powering on ferociously, with a total figure of 30.3 million as at 21/9/20.
It gets more interesting when we note that while it took 38 days to move from 5m-10m, (131579 daily) it took just 18 days to jump from 25m to 30m (277777daily)! The seven-day rolling average of new cases is about 90000 in Asia, 60000 in Latin America and the Caribbean and 30000 in North America and about 10,000 in Africa. Even though God has been very kind to us in this regard, this scenario does not show any course for celebration.
The UK is now facing a second wave of coro and has introduced the carrot and stick containment model. It has upgraded its coro-alert to Level 4, introduced a localised lockdown that would affect about 14 million people, and imposed serious punishment, including a £10,000 fine for quarantine violations and a stay-at-home allowance of £500 for the poor. They have also suspended the planned return of fans to the sports arena, due to commence in October.
In France, new cases surpassed 10,000 daily (highest since the coro-invasion) and strict restrictions have been imposed on beach gathering and outdoor public events especially on the red zones. In Madrid social gathering has been limited to 6, with localised lockdown for risky neighbourhoods. Israel has also imposed a second National Lockdown on Friday (18/9).
So, what is the status of this mysterious curve: rising, flattening or dipping? You can make up your mind from this brief review. But if it is rising all over the world, it is unrealistic to expect that it will flatten in Nigeria because we are a part of this interconnected world, when even chicken imported from Brazil has tested positive in China! And remember, international flights have resumed! So, I vote for cautious optimism!
There are other interesting Coro developments. A new study is suggesting that Coro is ultimately likely to become a seasonal ailment like influenza. Consumers are also “rushing” an industrial bleach (chlorine dioxide solution) as a cure for “coro” and that is even after Archbishop Mark Grenon and his son, Joseph were arrested in Colombia for selling the bleach-cure.
About 3500 people have contracted brucellosis, after a leak from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant in China. Still on criminal entrepreneurship, Lola Kasali, 22, a Houstonian, has just been arraigned for defrauding the state coro fund on $2 million under the Paycheck Protection Program.
In South-Africa, an over-active security official has shot and killed a citizen for failure to wear facemask in Africa at a shopping complex in Limpopo, on 17/9/20. In football, Ripdorf, a German football team lost 37-0 to their local rivals after fielding only seven players who socially distanced throughout the game.
Their request to postpone the game because their opponent’s coro-sacntity was in doubt was rejected. They would have abandoned the match but they did not want to pay a fine of €200 (£182). Ripdorf players avoided physical contacts with their opponents throughout the game and as such, the opponents kept scoring until they got tired of hitting the net
Other matters: Oshiomhole’s self-inflicted injury
The self-acclaimed political lion, Adams Oshiomole, has just been rubbished by a political lizard, which has just stripped him politically naked. On 9/7/20, I wrote inter alia “How can Oshiomole turn around to play the godfather or even dream of doing so? He who crowned himself the nemesis of godfathers, He who swore the step on toes and chop off those toes in the larger public interest; who promised NEVER to distract or interfere with whoever governs afterwards”! Anyway, it is not yet over but Ashiomhole has finished himself.
That is what happens when ordinary people start playing god. When people wear the perquisites of office in their forehead, rather than behind, life becomes meaningless when it falls off. As for the September Election, I can only prophesy that one party must win. There is no way two of them can win! Maybe, I will make available my $1.8 million Champaign for the final celebration. And for Obaseki, this is just the end of the beginning and he should learn from the travails of his master (Other Matters: Like Naboth, like Obaseki; well, not exactly! BusinessDay, 9/7/20).
A lot has been said (some serious, some jocular) about the social and political decimation of Oshiomhole and they are all in the market square. But the comments from two APCians, (who would soon migrate to PDP APGA, YPP) are noteworthy. A former publicist of nPDP, Mr Ezeh blamed the defeat of APC on Adam’s unpleasant carriage, incoherent disposition, sheer administrative incompetence, and gross leadership malady.
The one and only Rochas Okorocha said that it was a vote against injustice and that even APC members voted Obaseki. That means that Adams is the purveyor of that injustice. It is one of the ironies of Nigerian strange political reality that while Eze-Iyamu (who was canonised by Adams in July) lost the election, all the poisonous jabs, barbs and darts are being thrown at Oshiomhole!
Oshiohole claim to political “lionship” is laughable. As an APC Chair, he was sent parking by unknown, local ward executives and an ordinary deputy national secretary. As a political elder, he was sacked by the “unknown” political neophyte whom he “made” a governor the other day (made somebody governor in a democracy?).
I don’t know whether he will rise again from the ashes of this social and political humiliation. But if he does, I will advise him to chew his wards at least thrice before uttering them. Obaseki didn’t have much to do during the campaign apart from repeating all the things Adams said in his favour and those he said against Iyamu and godfathers. He should also be wary of the crude arrogance and nothing-mega tendencies that come with power in Nigeria.
In Igboland, the masquerade, the spirit-being that visits humans under special circumstances, is a very serious institution. It is abominable for anybody to desecrate a masquerade. However, it is unheard of for the person who carries the masquerade pouch (his native doctor) to desecrate the masquerade. That is what Adams, nwa Oshiomhole has just done. He attempted to destroy a masquerade which he institutionalised. And on top of that, he went home to dance and celebrate that odious act. That is why the gods were and are against him.
I had predicted that Obaseki would not end like Naboth (see: Like Naboth, like Obaseki; well, not exactly! 9/7/20).You see, I am a prophet and those Obaseki followers should advise him to come and settle me for prophesying positively on his ‘head’ Now Obaseki is the one dancing. I will present him with that champaign (Tasteof Diamonds, @ $1.8m a bottle), if fawning protocol officers will give me access to him. I will then remind him of what I said in July and for Obaseki, this is just the end of the beginning and he should learn from the travails of his master. I have spoken
