As of March 29, confirmed Covid-19 cases in Nigeria rose to 111 and counting. The sad reality is that African leaders are not doing enough to prevent the virus from spreading further. Also, the testing equipment and medical personnel are NOT enough should the disease escalate. Even so, some people doubt the existence of Covid-19. They say it’s a hoax and a political one for that. You see, Nigerians politicise everything. Erosions, landslides, flooding, natural disasters, poverty are politicised and attributed to governments or opposition. Everything is reduced to lame blame games. When much time and energy is channelled to blames, very little is achieved. This is what the government and her opposition do to each other and the citizenry. The citizens, on the other hand, fight (verbally and in extreme cases via violence) amongst themselves, to support and show solidarity to their various factions. Private businesses take advantage of situations like this to profit themselves by involving dubious companies and increasing the cost of goods. Some people go about spreading false info. I don’t know their gain. There’s so much going on the fast lane, but Covid-19 is a reality, and it’s spreading. Like I always say the African problem is one of leadership. This is typical to Nigeria, where most think like their leaders. If the head is wrong, there’s no doubt that the body will be twice as bad.
When I read people’s Covid-19 theories on social media, I can say that some people’s sense of reasoning is beclouded by sentiments and selfishness, which somehow boils down to politics. Dear African leaders, everything is not about politics. Instead of pointing fingers, I think this is the time to find measures for collective public health safety.
Oke Iroegbu's Blog 