Dear Mr Governor
When the alarm was raised that as many as one million Lagosians (and close to ten million Nigerians) may be vulnerable to the CoronaVirus, we instinctively responded by challenging the computer modeling. Now, it turns out we are ALL vulnerable and we are at the mercy of a ruthless invader which has scant respect for age, gender, religion or ethnicity /tribe.
Hence, we are now faced with the ugly prospects and monumental challenge of grappling with a SECOND WAVE of the monstrous pandemic which appears inevitable.
Our strategy must be proactive, agile, quick, responsive and ROBUST.
What is urgently required is a joint Government (Public)/Private Sector Initiative to raise funds under the aegis of WHO and other critical stakeholders such as Committee of former Presidents of various countries (chaired by UK’s Mr Gordon Brown); Bill Gates Foundation; McCarthur Foundation; G-20; World Bank; United Nations; IMF; African Development Bank; Afrexim Bank; IFAD etc in order to acquire in the shortest time possible the additional/new hospitals dedicated to victims of the CoronaVirus.
Regarding the structure, we need to ensure that the Private Sector is in the driving seat and international agencies/donors are represented at the Management level as well as The Board of Trustees. Accountability, transparency and world class corporate governance are of utmost importance
China was able to accomplish it within two weeks. So also did the United States of America and Britain. These spectacular achievements are worthy of emulation and replication in Lagos State.
Towards this objective, we envisage rewarding every donor with a Hall of Fame plaque/badge.
This formidable challenge will also involve huge investment in Information Technology and provide vast opportunities for our fledgling tech entrepreneurs. Regarding the structure, we need to ensure that the Private Sector is in the driving seat and international agencies/donors are represented at the Management level as well as The Board of Trustees. Accountability, transparency and world class corporate governance are of utmost importance.
As regards logistics and accommodation, the former Presidential Guest House and the former residence of the Governor of Lagos State, both on the Marina appear to be under-utilized.
We have not more than one hundred (perhaps two hundred days at most) to put everything (including legal backing and public enlightenment) in place. The clock is already ticking as we seek to remain cautiously optimistic – vigorous data gathering as the basis for a new dose of optimism as we struggle to isolate / mitigate / prevent. It is self-evident that our mortality is directly linked with what we do or fail to do. In any case, it is always the poor who pay the highest price.
Warmest regards
