Undoing the cultivation of our minds is very simple. One only needs to deactivate the coordination between the brain and the mouth. Grant each the liberty to run in different directions. At the end, the kimono of respectability that education and socialisation confer on man will fall-off, leaving behind only the ugly transition from honour to dishonour.

So that I will not miss out from the feast of conspiracy theories churned out daily, let me postulate too that Liverpool Football Club’s definite chance of winning the English Premier League (EPL) title is contributory to the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus that has killed over 250, 000 people globally.

Even, my mind is telling me that since the Anfield club last won the title in the1989/90 season, their proximity to the title in this COVID-19-challenged season is a trigger for the ravaging epidemic wantonly destroying humanity.

Since we do not want to stop peddling stupidity, then let us get trapped in our ignorance. What is the issue with us? How come we do not know how to dimension issues and offer perspectives that will benefit humanity and the society at large?

A decision taken to sequester Nigerians from COVID-19 became a subject of debate, not only for the legal minds, but for the spiritual eyes.

The other day when President Muhammadu Buhari gave a directive that Lagos, Ogun and Abuja should be under lock-down to barricade the spread of the lethal virus to the citizens, diverse opinions surfaced about the legality or otherwise of his pronouncement.

A decision taken to sequester Nigerians from COVID-19 became a subject of debate, not only for the legal minds, but for the spiritual eyes. These two inclinations, which ordinarily should protect humanity, have chosen to exploit the vulnerability of the people to amass influence and affluence.

Sadly, the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Nigeria did not lower the pitch of the misleading voices advocating that people should go out for commercial or religious engagements.

True, there is hunger in the land, but there is also pestilence in the air. These are unusual times. Thus, the need for abundant prudence is incontrovertible. Often times, we are drowned by our reveries to such a depth that it becomes difficult for us to rise to the reality of our situations.

There are rights that are inalienable to man, but when there are exigencies, the State aggregates individual citizen’s rights for the overall benefit of the people. In Maryland, United States of America, when the citizens became recalcitrant and started flouting the stay-at-home directive, the Governor invited the military to enforce the order.

The citizens have the rights to freedom of association, movement and other social interactions. But immediately coronavirus started manifesting in the State at a level of concern, such that mortality figure had hit 235, while confirmed cases optimistically was at 8,225, Maryland Governor, Mr. Larry Hogan, restricted the much-acclaimed liberty that made democracy the preferred form of government, to protect the society, and its inhabitants; from self-destruction.

World-over, in fulfilling constitutional obligation of protecting life and property to citizens, government can evoke the doctrine of necessity. And recently, the devastating impact of sprightly coronavirus on Italy, United States of America, Britain, Spain and China has made it compelling for any thoughtful and proactive government to place collective wellbeing ahead of individual right.

But in Nigeria, we have a peculiarity that is puzzling. Our democracy is interpreted to mean endless freedom and unlimited rights, even when interfering with other people’s entitlements. Not surprisingly, this has significantly influenced both legal practice and democratic governance in our country.

And its manifestation is evident in the inflexible outlook of our legal practitioners, and the chary interaction between the political class and the citizens. We believe that for relevance, the political class must mitigate the appropriate with the desired, just as the noise makers in the society think courting controversy is the path to recognition.

Like in Kano, we may lose quality lives to indiscretion, because we have replicated the same level of carelessness that got everyone talking about the biggest state in Northern Nigeria.

Nourishing the hypothesis that political correctness predicts political relevance is one of the foundation of the hateful dispositions of most Nigerians to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and style of governance. The septuagenarian, who stands as upright as he is; radiating an uncommon inner peace and splendour for his age, seeks to please no one, but unbendable in doing what he considers appropriate compassionately and impartially.

With a gait announcing his steadfastness, our brutally honest and unpleasantly realistic President will not certainly be moved by the distracting voices chasing clouts through pitiful pontifications and criticisms of his actions. Rather, he watches them listen to the echoes of their own voices, leading people to the streets and markets, while they stay at home, wearing face masks and observing physical distancing, even within their own nuclear families.

The hypocrisy of the elite aside. What is actually wrong with us. Why don’t we interrogate what these people tell us? We really need to understand that the prosperity of most of these ‘book people’ – ‘analysts’ ‘social commentators or critics’ and ‘human rights this or that’ is dependent on our awareness and endorsement of their so-called expertise.

They need us to be relevant and successful. So, they struggle to be in our consciousness, even through deliberate manipulation, misinformation, deceit and mischief. We really need to be wary of their counsels. Meanwhile, Lagos State has continued to show leadership in Nigeria’s quest to defeat COVID-19.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, beyond the battle against coronavirus, has been exemplary in his human-centred leadership. Come May 29, he will be 1 year in office, but this occasion will be without fanfare, even though he is deserving of celebration and accolade for his activities the last 12 months as Governor of Lagos State.

As a sensitive leader, Governor Sanwo-Olu will use the occasion to reflect on a number of issues, bothering largely on how to quickly deliver on his promise of a Greater Lagos. But beyond the disconsolate global outlook that has made celebrations inappropriate at this time, the Governor’s meditations will certainly be interjected by consequences of our actions of Monday, May 4th, 2020.

That was the first day of the gradual easing of the lockdown directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, which affected Lagos, Ogun and the FCT. Proactively, the Lagos State Governor provided a set of widely published guidelines and protocols to help manage our interactions during this phase. Unfortunately, the way we went about our businesses yesterday, from visits to the banks and markets, showed a flagrant disregard for the issued guidelines.

Let everyone know. Every action has a consequence. Soon, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will announce results, and we will become guilty of injudiciousness. Like in Kano, we may lose quality lives to indiscretion, because we have replicated the same level of carelessness that got everyone talking about the biggest state in Northern Nigeria.

The gestation period for our thoughtlessness will be the week before May 29.  By then, there would have been disturbing manifestations that would force sobriety on everyone. Sadly, our reality would have transited from beautiful to ugly, because we had run an unkempt brush over our beautiful canvas.

Without any doubt, the painting therefrom will be visible to everyone. Even though we may not expect the portrait to be as repugnant as the reality that would be before us, we would certainly have no choice than to live with whatever we have brought upon ourselves. Except we halt the trend today, our experience in the next few days will be terrible.  We really need to be responsible.

*Fafore is the Executive Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Public Relations and New Media

The post Spreading coronavirus on the wings of ignorance, By Olusegun Fafore appeared first on Frontpageng.

With the public outrage following the flouting of government’s directives by some religious institutions last weekend over the number of worshippers that could attend mosques and churches for prayers in the face of the deadly pandemic ravaging the world, God may have nullified some supplications for putting His creations in danger.

The contribution of a South Korean Church to the Coronavirus spread, which represents about 60% of the country’s confirmed cases of over 4,000, motivated restrictions on the number of people who can congregate at places of worship at this time.

The restriction terms, which allowed 50 worshippers, was further revised to 20 people, with ample space between seats and individuals who must be at worship centres for their supplications to be heard by God or Allah.

As attendance at religious gatherings were monitored for compliance, social gatherings did not go off the sight of governments. This is because governors will be labelled as failures and ineffective if the ruthlessness of the virus overruns our communities.

At a speed matching the invasive tendencies of the deadly Coronavirus, governments across the globe made pronouncements and took decisions targeted at protecting their citizens, limiting the spread of the virus and managing the level of fatality.

In the city of Rome, the capital of Italy, a country that lost about 743 people to the Coronavirus outbreak in just one day, the lockdown forced churches to suspend Mass.

Forget the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s calm demeanor. Every additional case of Coronavirus in the State unsettles him. Since when the first case, which later turned negative was announced in Lagos State, the Governor’s determination to contain the pestilence has increased.

Meanwhile, before this outbreak, Rome was the downtown of Catholic worship. The Pope resides in the Vatican City, a sovereign City-State enclaved within Rome, which has been a center of Christian Pilgrimage for centuries.

With death in the air, excursion to the holy city stopped. Priests in the Vatican found other ways to reach their congregations since science has established that Coronavirus thrives amidst multitudes.

Perhaps this was why Saudi Arabia’s King Salman locked-down the country’s capital, Riyadh, and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Beyond this action, the country, which hosts millions of pilgrims annually, suspended all educational and Qur’anic activities at all Mosques, closed malls, restaurants, cafes and parks, and banned Muslim pilgrims from coming for Umrah this year.

These decisions, are not only unusual, but are far-reaching, and genuinely reflective of the value placed on citizens lives by the government of the country.  And the impacts of these decisions are evident in the containment effort of the State, which has limited casualty of the dreaded virus to only 1, out of the 767 reported cases, since the country confirmed its first case on March 2, 2020.

Public safety sentiment echoes across the globe. It is a critical index for measuring purposeful leadership at this unnerving period in human existence. So that you know, the time has gotten direr in Israel and the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to implement a total lockdown.

The number of sick Israelis infected by novel Coronavirus has climbed to 2, 369. And it is the responsibility of the State to cater for them and prevent them from adding to the number of deaths attributed to the pandemic.

“These steps we have taken here in Israel are being taken all of the world; however, they are not enough because the number of patients is doubling every three days” said the Prime Minister who added that “in two weeks we are liable to find ourselves with thousands of patients many of whom will be in danger of death”.

So, where did the disobedience come from? If your recalcitrance increases the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria and results in loss of several lives, you are a murderer!

If this statement does not provide hint of the despair in the Prime Minister’s voice, it is reflective of the fact that he is under enormous pressure to protect his people from the scourging death and save his land from the spate of Coronavirus.

Netanyahu’s predicament reflects what every leader all over the world is going through at this period. Even, his case should be different because Israelis have an unending covenant with God, and they can afford to ignore the roving signs of over the world.

Leadership is a huge responsibility. People occupying such positions are wearing thorny crowns at this moment.  Whether they are calm or spirited, their minds are in crisis. They are thinking about the safety of everyone, and the purity of their territories, which could be a sovereign or sub-national.

Forget the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s calm demeanor. Every additional case of Coronavirus in the State unsettles him. Since when the first case, which later turned negative was announced in Lagos State, the Governor’s determination to contain the pestilence has increased. Every update, he wished had included the announcement of a vaccine, or drugs that can permanently wipe-out the deadly Coronavirus from our World.

“There are about 22 million people in my care and everyone is only an arm’s length away from the other. This pandemic is highly transmissible and travels in the air from one person to the other. Aside from my domain being the most populous in the country, with an incredible density, it is also the major entry point into Nigeria. Daily, thousands of travelers come into Lagos from different parts of the world, even from Coronavirus worse-hit countries”, captures the minute-by-minute thoughts on Governor Sanwo-Olu’s mind.

So, his mind cannot idle away from the conjectures coming in gushes. Even, complicating the situation is the centrality of Lagos to managing the containment of the deadly virus in Nigeria. The level of the State’s preparedness and quality of facilities make it a destination for case management and patient treatment.

As the facilities get stretched by cases imported from outside Lagos, his mind skips; because of the ever-present imbalance between needs and available resources in life. If not for our recklessness, may be the number of cases in Nigeria would still have been as low as five, and Lagos will be zero with the index case turning negative. And this would have perhaps contributed to reduction in his anxieties.

But we are strange and very funny people, with immeasurable capacity for disobedience. It is ridiculous that government needed to enforce compliance with directives to stem the tide of a lethal microbe that has claimed 21,367 lives from the 475,879 cases in 198 countries.

We sneered at instructions as basic as restricting the number of congregations to 20 if there must worship in our Churches or Mosques and self-isolate for 14 days, if we just returned from overseas trip, to abate the spread of Coronavirus amongst us.

Even, the call to avoid public places and social gatherings at this perilous time is pointlessly ignored just as much as the need for personal hygiene is discounted.

Excuse me, why are the doctrines of “wash your hands regularly with soap” and “observe the principles of social distancing” to protect yourself from a deadly infection difficult to obey? Are we just being suicidal, or deliberately inclined to committing large scale murder?

Don’t we understand that our disobedience endangers other people’s lives and diminishes government efforts at protecting the land against pandemic? If we assemble somewhere in the name of prayer or worship, and enable coronavirus fly at a geometric progression through community spread, we have not only disobeyed civil authorities, but also committed evil in the sight of God. Good citizenship is one of the conditions precedent to Godliness. For Christians, Apostle Paul espoused this in his homily on civil obedience in Roman 13: 1-1.

The holy Quran does not defer on civil obedience and respect for constituted authority. In verse 59 of Surah An-Nisa in the Quran, which is known as Uli al-Amr verse, Believers are ordered to obey Allah, obey the prophet and those vested with authority (Uli al-Amr).

So, where did the disobedience come from? If your recalcitrance increases the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria and results in loss of several lives, you are a murderer! If you fail to self-isolate when you return from overseas or are exposed an infected person, you are a killer because your indiscretion will infect people with the novel coronavirus.

We need to comply with the social distancing and personal hygiene precepts. No one should commit suicide by disregarding these principles. God holds human life sacred. That is why the 6th commandment, Exodus 20;13 “Thou shalt not kill” is a clear directive to preserve human life.

More importantly, suicide is a grave sin before our creator.  It is true that in times of pestilence, prayer is a means of privileged communication with the Almighty God. No one is in doubt about the power of prayer as a source of strength in moment of crisis, but like Peter cautioned Christians to conduct their lives properly;  so that their “prayers be not hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7).

If your actions or activities cause self-death or death of others, or endanger the society, God may not answer your prayers.

Stay safe. Wisdom is profitable to direct.

*Fafore is Executive Assistant on Public Relations and New Media to Lagos State Governor

The post Those whose prayers God may not answer, By Olusegun Fafore appeared first on Frontpageng.

Fatality rate across the globe since the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Chinese town of Wuhan on December 31, 2019 has signalled that this is not the best of times for humanity.  With about 8,988 deaths and 220,877 people infected in 176 countries since the first death was recorded in China on January 11, 2020, the pandemic has boisterously announced its immensity.

Frighteningly, the virus claims human lives daily while science still struggles with an absolute response to the scourge.  More than before, humanity has become vulnerable, and at the mercy of government policies. From one end of the world to the other, governments and political leaders are facing a whirlwind that is testing their leadership. Leaders are subjected to unusual trials and are desperate for solution(s).

In search of safety from the grip of the easily transmittable coronamicrobe, man is turning to the State for actions that will stem the tide, and provide succour at this difficult period. Sadly, no nation is capable of shielding the other. The ravaging disease does not regard the medically and scientifically advanced nations in its manifestation, so it is every nation to herself first, hence the increasing instances of border closure and entry restrictions.

To humble humanity and heighten our fears, the epidemic started its cudgelling from the most advanced to the not-so-advanced countries of the world.  Nations like China, Italy, USA, Spain, Iran, Germany and France are the worst hit, while African countries like Nigeria, Togo, Somalia and Congo have had minimal impact. Only 12 deaths out of the 590 reported cases have been reported so far in Africa.

It may be safe to argue that the worst-hit countries, with records of deaths in thousands since the outbreak of the deadly disease, are ‘host country’ and ‘high-traffic areas’, but a different perspective will be that China is where the virus originated from, other countries classified as high-traffic areas, are inheritors like Nigeria and other sub-Saharan Africa countries, and should have had lesser impacts as well.

To humble humanity and heighten our fears, the epidemic started its cudgelling from the most advanced to the not-so-advanced countries of the world.

The truth is that danger is looming and humanity is under attack. While the response strategies by Nigeria and some other countries may have contained the spread of the deadly disease, especially in Africa; this terrifying development has justified the need for increased collaboration and support amongst the nations of the world. Humans have to come together to protect their turf.

The hurried spread of Coronavirus across the globe has shown that we are closer than the flight time from one region to the other suggests. People from one continent are just one person away from contingents from other continents. Asians are not far from Africans, so are Australians close to Americans, because there is no distance in human linkage(s).

We now know that the world is one small circle that can be covered in just few days. There is no better authentication of this statement than the number of human victims succumbing to the lethal calls of microbes globally. The fact that a disease starts in a remote part of the world and travels across the hemisphere to other parts in hours proves that we are not as isolated as we had always thought.

Outbreaks of pandemics like HIV/AIDS, Ebola and Coronavirus are compelling enough for us to rethink our humanity. More than wars, epidemics are greater threats to humankind. It is therefore important that global leaders, multilateral agencies and international organisations align on investment in critical health infrastructure and scientific breakthroughs to sustain our reign on planet earth.

Microbes and diseases are interested in our world. These horrible impostors are keen on displacing us in our hundreds, thousands and millions, if we continue to live the way we have always lived and refused to exploit our mutual strengths. For pandemics, the fate of Africa is always a concern to the global health community. This is because of the continent’s history of poor investment in health care and hindered scientific advancement.

The African continent was not known to stand-up to its health challenges, or any global health problems. Until the containment of Ebola outbreak in 2014 when Nigeria offered the best of Africa to the world, no one ever thought that there could be a coordinated response to a pandemic by Africans.

As one of the immediate destinations of the hemorrhagic fever (Ebola) which originated from Liberia when thousands were sick and dying in the West African regions of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (28, 616 cases and 11, 310 deaths), Lagos was gripped by fear and thrown into panic because of the devastating statistics.

The epidemic claimed the life of Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, the Lead Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at a private hospital in Lagos, who remains the heroine of the battle against the Ebola pandemic in Nigeria, but the capacity of the State to speedily deploy resources to contain the spread of the deadly disease and limit casualties to 8 deaths out of the 20 cases was globally commended by the time we defeated the outbreak in September 2014.

Lagos State Government showed the world what Africans could do in times of crisis to forestall a continent-wide spread of dreaded diseases. The promptness and efficiency of the State response system protected Nigeria’s over 22 million population, occupying a landmass of approximately 3345km2 , from the highly infectious disease.

The averted calamity, considering that Lagos population density was 20, 000 per persons per square kilometre in built up areas, would have been colossal. Poor management of the situation would have spelt a total disaster for the country, and perhaps Africa’s over 1.2bn people.

That was a global tragedy contained. Really, such an incident should attract and induce multilateral support, in form of capacity building and investment in health infrastructure in certain areas of the world. Weaknesses or lack of capacity in certain locations in the face of pandemic outbreaks endanger the whole world, no matter how distant anyone may be from the originating country.  Before Coronavirus, China was very far, right?

Locations like Lagos are central to global wellbeing and progression of human health agenda for a number reasons. Notable amongst these is that the world cannot afford a weak link in the aggressive campaign for health security and wellbeing.

For a destination with two domestic airports, an international airport and two seaports, which are adjudged to be the largest and busiest on the African continent, a national or subnational government can only do little in combating security, socio-economic and health challenges or threats, when they emerge from the interconnectedness of our world.

Lagos State Government showed the world what Africans could do in times of crisis to forestall a continent-wide spread of dreaded diseases.

Lagos is only exemplary in fighting the scourge of COVID-19 because of deliberate government policy and leadership commitment to quality public health.  The Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, before the outbreak had taken a strong position that made the State response to the menace adequate.

As Incident Commander, his outlook inspired great confidence in the Lagos State Incident Command Team battling the menace of the deadly disease in Lagos, but would this have been the story if Africa was the origin of this deadly virus?

What would the pressure on Lagos facility and the outcomes of the unanticipated stretch of the State health facility and preparedness for incidents, which have drawn commendations from far and near, especially by the World Health Organisation (WHO) have been?

Yes, since the detection of the first case of Coronavirus on February 27, 2020, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Sanwo-Olu has remained resolute in curbing the spread of the virus and preventing human casualty. But in reality, megacities like Lagos and other densely populated regions in the world require increased global support and collaboration towards improving healthcare and proving world-class facility. This will not only strengthen the State’s capacity to combat situations such as this, but also bolster its ability to provide support for other destination in the region during emergencies.

So far, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s decisions and actions have significantly moderated the possible spread of the microbe and doused fears that Coronavirus could sweep the entire country in matter of days. To manage the situation, Lagos State activated its emergency health management and response framework, embarked on a mass enlightenment campaign about the importance of personal hygiene, closed schools and prohibited public engagements with more than 50 participants at a single location in the State.

Some of these decisions are tough because of the socio-economic texture of Lagos. But indeed, times are hard, and only tough decision could help humans chase microbes off our streets. As social animals, the chances that these aliens will creep into our system are very high, and definite, if we fail to demonstrate a certain level of watchfulness over ourselves. We need to help the response system work by following simple guidelines. When government demonstrates political will, citizens should reciprocate with commitment.

But more importantly, it has become better known that our spaces in the world are shared facilities. Therefore, we need to increase our humanity. Leading nations, global leaders, civil society activists, well-meaning individuals, international organisations and multilateral agencies, need to rethink what our investment priorities should be. The focus of innovation and scientific advancement need to shift to healthcare infrastructure and systems in high population density regions of the world.

*Fafore is the Executive Assistant on Public Relations and New Media to the Governor of Lagos State.

The post China to Lagos, the frightening timeline of a deadly virus appeared first on Frontpageng.