Has government done well in its efforts to contain the ravaging global Coronavirus in Nigeria? The answer is yes and no. No, because of the obvious poor state of our health facilities, inadequate number of testing and isolation centres, lack of adequate training of our health officials and others in the area of disease control, lack of commitment of some health workers in carrying out the demanding, risky job, failure of the authorities to take prompt actions sometimes and many more.
Yes, because some government agencies like the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Health and other health authorities have put measures in place to safeguard the lives of the citizens and have constantly reviewed them as the need arises. Various state governments have been commendably proactive in ensuring the COVID-19 cases in their domains, making the entire nation remain as minimal as possible.
However, the disturbing attitude of some Nigerians who blatantly refuse to obey the laid down rules and adhere to the measures, is dashing these efforts and putting the lives of the citizens and all the people who dwell in the country at risk. For instance, the NCDC’s advisory on COVID-19 of 18th March, 2020 states thus: “All returning travellers from foreign countries are required to self-isolate for 14 days whether symptomatic or not…Additionally, travellers returning from high-risk countries (China, Italy, Germany, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Spain, etc.),will be actively followed-up for 14 days by the NCDC and Port Health Services; avoid contact with people; travellers from high-risk countries must undergo secondary screening at the point of entry.
Disappointedly, some federal lawmakers were reported to have refused to submit themselves for check upon their return from foreign trips, leading to a leaked confidential memo said to have been written by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on the subject matter.
Again, going by the NCDC’s directive earlier quoted, all travellers returning from high-risk countries must self-isolate for 14 days and avoid contact with people. Yet the Chief of Staff, who had tested positive for the dreaded virus, returned to the country from Germany on March 14, did not self-isolate, and attended a couple of events, both personal and official, until he displayed some symptoms of the disease and surrendered himself for testing. The panic and tension the current state of his health has created in the country in view of the wide range of people that had direct contact with him is indescribable.
The same goes for Mr. Mo Atiku Abubakar, who, upon arrival from UK and France, was said to have a suspicious temperature but refused self-isolation and test. He rather went about his normal life in Abuja until he was whisked to the isolation center in Gwagwalada. Of course, he had since tested positive to the pandemic virus.
The questions then are, was the Abba Kyari not checked at the airport? Why did he not obey the directive of self-isolation for 14 days when he returned? Why did he mingle with people contrary to the advice of the NCDC shortly after he returned to the country? What was on the mind of Mr. Abubakar when he defied all NCDC directives? What happened to the follow-up claim by NCDC?
I think a proper investigation should be carried out to ascertain what actually happened? But without being preemptive, it may not be far from the usual attitude of some of our ruling elite, politicians and influential people, feeling they are above the law and some members of the public, including those at the airports, treating them as sacred cows. I once wrote an article on how this set of people defy all known protocol at the airport, thereby compounding the chaotic situations we have there most times.
So, it’s high time our leaders started leading by example. According to Albert Einstein, “setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means”. Similarly, the words of Alessandro Berselli, “Great leaders don’t tell you what to do. They show you how it’s done”. NCDC boss, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, exemplified this type of leadership when he self-isolated himself for two weeks when he returned from China on an official trip early in the month, despite testing negative for the virus.
It is, therefore, expected that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, governors, religious and political leaders that had contact with the chief of staff, should demonstrate leadership by going into self-isolation for their good and that of others. Anybody that had contact with any confirmed case shouldn’t wait to be persuaded to do the right thing. That is the only way the virus can be contained in the country. After all, the disease is not a death sentence. The death rate, we are told, is just 2%; meaning that majority of the infected persons have pulled through.
All and sundry should also play their roles in checking the spread of the virus, by abiding by the laid down guidelines. When the Catholic Arch diocese of Abuja directed all Catholic faithful in the Arch diocese to stay at home on Sundays and follow the mass online, a friend screamed, “how will I receive Holy Communion online?! Mass I must attend, if I perish, I perish. One will surely die one day”, she asserted. This, unfortunately, is the mindset of many who would not adhere to the guideline, thereby endangering themselves and others. This must change.
It is also imperative that the authorities should do more towards the preemptive and containment measures, especially in taking the message down to the grassroots. This is the time for the Federal and State Ministries of Information, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to intensify the important role of disseminating the proper information about the disease to the masses.

By: Calista Ezeaku