• Friday, March 29, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Covid-19, attendant facts and effects: Fighting frontally

Covid-19 death-2

No doubt, the world is in a complex turmoil of survival and menacingly gripped by pandemonium that is troubling its existence. The reason for this global trepidation need not be reiterated, of course everybody, conscious of his state of health should be quite aware of the pandemic coronavirus infectious disease, codenamed COVID-19. Since the detection of its existence in Wuhan, far away China, December last year, the disease has remained the talk of the town. Just as if the world is coming to an end and dreadful has it become, I must add that in the history of the world every sector of the government’s economy is practically shut down.

Truth be told, much more has been penned, published and broadcast, with different shades of opinion, raging like a scotching inferno on the gravity of the disease, safety precautions, and of course the consequential effects of the deadly virus that is agreed, globally, that it has the power to drive man’s existence into irredeemable state of dinosaur. On this basis, this piece intervenes on the perspective of not only appraising the casualties in brief, but also serves as a call on all humans, bodies and institutions, irrespective of our diverse beliefs, perceptions, roles and states of being to rise up against this challenging time brought about by the occurrence of COVID-19 with a view to fighting it to a standstill.

It is unarguably, that some economies in the world are more buoyant and advanced compared to some which are feeble and struggling to survive. I really do not think anyone is in doubt of the China’s vibrant economy that pride itself as the most robust and vibrant economy in the world. Its economy has plummeted at an unprecedented rate to a palpable level, with the lost still on high increase and its GDP rapidly decreasing retrogressively.

With the phenomenon of the ravaging disease, where giant economies like that of China, America, France and Russia are crippled and brought to their kneels, Africa’s giant economies are also not spared, and that of course makes the economies of Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt’s paralysed and sent to a state of comatose, thus, exposed to sinking disorderliness, to the extent that analysts are somewhat engrossed, waiting for the loss to be counted, perhaps after the uncertain end of the global health crisis. Therefore, the attendant effects of this on global oil price, which has changed the graphical lines depicting the contribution of our staple export product; crude oil price has plunged below $40 per barrel, since the emergence of the world ‘s killer disease. Indeed, all the countries in the world have been humbled by the pandemic and with this calamity, the ineptitude of various countries’ governments have been x-rayed at global public square.

In Europe, America and Asia for example, there is this unproven belief; conjecture perhaps to say, that among the developing countries, it is believed that you find the most efficient and working governments mostly in European countries. A based line research conducted since the advent of this COVID-19 shows that this killer virus proves us wrong that in Asia and in America’s continents, you could find government which are more effective and more practically people oriented and control of novel phenomenon, particularly a negative one, than in Europe. Buttressing the point this writer is making here, corona virus hit the world late last year, in the hitherto unknown city called Wuhan, in China. With alacrity, the Chinese government rose to its challenge by fighting the pandemic left right and centre. Afterwards, the calamitous disease spread to other continents like Europe and Africa, with governments in these continents swinging into action with fewer cognisance to fighting it off compared to what was done in China and other Asian countries.

However, as at March 19, 2020, the fatality rate of the ravaging COVID-19 had reduced drastically to lesser percentage compared to America and in European countries, particularly Italy and Spain, where the pandemic had since become surging and thriving with governments’ actions being suppressed, hence, unnoticeable. This has further made Chinese doctors the toast of the world, particularly making some countries in the third world to eat a humble pie.

For some months now, the prevalence of COVID-19 in Nigeria and many other African countries is very alarming. Since its unwelcome occurrence in Black continent, the governments have been scampering, with eyes widely open and the need to source for external aids has taken the inept attention of the governments, particularly, the parochially-driven call for donors from every nook and cranny by the Nigerian government. The effect of this unpatriotic solicitation is not far from saying that these governments might see the occurrence of this covid-19 as a season of harvest of corruption, another avenue for inflating contracts, and of course a drive gravitating towards plunging, even the generation unborn into trans-generational debt. It is saddening to realise that while countries from all the continents are still counting their loses jointly and severally, the countries classified as third world are captured in palpable fear, in trepidation and obviously jittery about their continued existence which is threatened by this global acute health challenge.

For those who are of the view that this disturbing period is a multiple harvest where one can milk the common wealth of the society at the depravity and to the detriment of the masses with a view to enriching the few bourgeoisies. Thus, they are indeed those who thumb their noses to nemesis. The raging argument for or against the invitation and collaboration with Chinese doctors to work in support with our neglected health workers particularly, the doctors, calls for a serious concern. While many are firmly of the view and have staunchly argued that it is a further confirmation of laxity, ineptitude and government insensitivity to accepting its failure, very few hold that no country is an island of solution, especially when the plagues and disaster touch on health matter, which is a determinant between life and death.

Speaking factually, some countries are better armoured against combating economic, political, and social crises than others. While many of the dependant countries are mostly in African continent, the advantaged and succour providers are situating mostly in the western world, particularly in Europe, which are referred to advanced countries. In terms of the nature of succour, that is the nature of the succour sought and offered are both either material, capital or personnel. Through loans, borrowing, cash repatriation or expatiation of debts, dependant or needy countries, studded with corrupt leaders can manipulate the calamitous period at the detriment of the masses in their countries. One cannot rule out the fact that proper accountability of donors’ succours or freebies and proper implementation of hard-core developmental programs are key gestures encouraged to be undertaken by any serious government committed to real development. To this end, citizens of the receiving countries, particularly in Africa, have expressed teething doubts over intercontinental assistance from the advantageous countries to the feeble African countries which are most likely far hit and susceptible to being ravaged by the deadly corona virus disease, save divine intervention.

Amidst this trying time, I have read, heard, seen people vociferating against the so far intervention and handling of the pandemic disease by the Nigerian government, heaps of blame have been solely placed on the government. However, despite the fact that those at the helms of affairs, particularly in Nigeria have failed in all ramifications, and the citizens seem to have labelled the government as that which is highly insensitive, insincere and parochial in its fight against COVID-19, this writer, however, humbly appeal with the general public to be supportive and join hands in every forces in their course to defeating the pandemic.  When in a situation like this, where there is a national disaster, global pandemic; phenomenon, that technically could be very well qualified in law as a force majure, we should as a matter of exigency place humanity first against all perceptions.

As a people, it is advisedly pointed that we engage, collectively, this disease with all might and put all hands-on deck, with a view to fine-tuning a lasting solution, necessitated as a priority, rather than apportioning blame. As a matter of humanity and existence, it is advisable that we gallop into action collectively, and face frontally, this deadly disease, by ensuring that everybody plays his part diligently and efficiently so as to sustain our existentiality.

In conclusion, the fact is that, after the survival of this period, virtually all sectors of the economy will have to be resuscitated and repositioned from the state of comatose to prosperity which this period has sent them to. Indeed, many have anticipated massive retrenchment in public and particularly private sectors, where demand of goods and services will be drastically nosedived. The attendant fact remains that; post-corona will be accompanied with people’s and government’s quests for survival rather than consolidation and acquisition of wealth. In a situation like this, it is expected that supply would definitely outweigh demand thus expectedly, inflation, economic downturn and at its peak recession are looming.

Advisedly, beyond fighting, government should engage all spheres; take proactive measures by working on the lapses discovered during the fight, not only against the pandemic corona virus, but any form of national or global disaster. There should be legislations that are expected to foresee and take care of period like this. Our national data base should be updated from time to time by the bodies like National Population Commission (NPC) and National Information Management System (NIMC). Registration and compliance with the directives of these bodies should be seen by all as necessities rather than forced directives. The NPC should be very proactive in taking the accurate bio data and status of all beings in the country. Instead of using the unverified and unreliable researches and data carried out by foreign organisations, which are in most cases are asinine and outdated at some material time like this. Data taken by the indigenous body, like that of the NPC would no doubt form a reliable and efficient data base, to be worked with whenever the need for the distribution of palliatives, among every class of the citizens, arises.

 

RILWAN BALOGUN

Balogun, a legal practitioner and public affairs analyst wrote in from Lagos. He can be reached via: [email protected].