By Olakunle Agboola- President Muhammadu Buhari during his nationwide speech on Sunday, March 29, announced a 14-day shutdown of business, economic and social activities in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The President stated that the lock down was necessitated based on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which was aimed at curtailing the COVID-19 from spreading to other states of the federation.
Buhari also disclosed that the three states have the majority of confirmed cases in Nigeria and the government’s focus was to urgently and drastically contain these cases and to support other states and regions.
Meanwhile, apart from these three states, other states have followed suit in the lockdown. Some states have closed their borders, markets and restricted movement introducing dusk to dawn palliatives.
While health experts have commended the government for the lockdown in these three states to curtail the virus, some Nigerians are worried that the lockdown will soon kill them at home when there are little or no palliative measures put in place to help those with informal jobs and the poor which they can do without going out in a day to look for what to eat.
Femi Oni, a shoe maker by the road side in Lagos complained bitterly that for two weeks, he could not go to shop to make money so that he can feed his four kids and his heavily pregnant wife who will put to bed soonest.
”I am a frustrated man right now because it is difficult to constantly put food on the table for the past two weeks. This lockdown is not fair because I can’t open shop to work so that I can cater for my family. I am in debt borrowing every day from friends and neighbours now; nobody is ready to lend me money because I have not paid the money I lent. My fear is, my wife can give birth any time from now, and I have no cash on me to foot the hospital bills.”
Another resident, who simply gave her name as Mama Ojo, a food seller in Ojota, Lagos, said with the lockdown, she is frustrated and angry.
”This lock down was just sudden. I had just used all the money I had with me to pay my daughter’s school fees in primary school hoping that I will push truck to sell food and quickly recoup the money. It was that week that Lagos was locked down. If I had known that something like this would happen, I would not have gone to pay my daughter’s school fees and we might be able to cope during this period. I only have 400 Naira with me as I speak, and I don’t know how I will survive with three children because we barely eat. I am a widow with no support from anybody”
Mr Ajayi, a member of Landlord Association in Ketu is a bit worried and feels Nigeria does not have reasonable and sound leaders to cater for the populace.
”We have been hearing so much money donated to the Federal government including Lagos State Government to fight this Coronavirus. What was the money used for? We are talking about Billions of Naira. I was in the house when I was called to come and see Covid-19 relief materials for the whole street. First, I was excited thinking government is becoming more responsible and sensitive to the need of the people. You can’t ask people to stay at home without providing for those who livelihood is on daily income. How will they survive? I received the greatest shock of my life when I saw the food brought by the state government. 3 paints of rice, gari, beans and six sachets of tomato. If I could count those living on this street, we should be nothing less than 400. And let us assume 200 people don’t need this, which I am one of them, will 3 paints of rice, beans, and gari be enough for 200 people? I just left and I told the other landlords to do whatever they feel is ok with the relief materials. I see that as a shame from the part of the government.”
There have been complains on social media with all sorts of video from Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, the federal capital territory circulating the internet space. The complaints have been on palliative materials given by both state and federal government,which are not enough to cope in the period of the lockdown.
“They did not pay us any money. They did not give us food. Our children are there they said we should stay indoor for what reason. Tomorrow we are going to protest. Our children are hungry, and you say we should stay indoors. For what reason? You didn’t give us money; you didn’t give us anything and you want us to stay indoors.”
”We are hungry. No food. No light. How do they want us to stay inside? This Government is useless, how can a paint of rice be enough for a whole community locking us at home for weeks and cutting us off from our source of livelihood. We will take to the street and protest because we are dying of hunger and we can’t cope anymore ”, exempt from some of the video surfacing on social media.
Nigerians also have complained about the price of commodities, which has drastically gone up, due to border closure, making life unbearable for millions of Nigerians. Mr. Dotun Ige, a civil servant in Abuja said, ”a bag of sachet water had already begun to sell for N150.00 about two weeks ago.
”I bought a bag of sachet water N150.00 about two weeks ago but as at today, it has become N200.00 and so are price of food commodities very high that you wonder how we will survive in Nigeria having little or no help from the government.”
Deji Adeniyi, a social commentator in Lagos said, ” unless everyday needs of the people are met, the lockdown of the country may not achieve its desired result. There must be reasonable supply of electricity, water and unbroken chain of food items. The federal and state governments may face rebellion from the people if those basic needs are not met. Government must do the needful if they mean total lockdown to curtail the spread of Covid-19.”
The World Health Organization, WHO, has warned Nigeria and other countries implementing lockdown orders to ensure their poor populations have food and other essential items. The Director General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus who stated this last week, recently added that social distancing and lockdown will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 when the citizens, especially the vulnerable ones have food and other life essentials as without them, the lockdown may not be achieved.
The Government is doing all in their capacity, but they need to be more sensitive to the need of the people most especially the poor citizens who their source of livelihood is on the street. There must be a great concern and proper plan for that young adult who have to sell on the street to put food on the table for his family, the disable whose daily income comes from the street and also the market women who can’t do without going to market every day to sell her goods, just to make a daily living.
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