By Martin Cole-
Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, announced a 14-day extension to an existing lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The televised address on Monday was made as an intention to restrict the spread of the corona virus which has claimed thousands of lives across the globe. Buhari said: “it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement” that was set to expire later on Monday. It follows 20 new cases in the country with just 10 deaths from the 323 confirmed cases so far, arising from the deadly virus. Nigeria recorded its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on Feb. 27 in Lagos, the country’s former capital. The disease has since spread to 20 of total 36 states. Over 85 people have been treated and discharged from isolation centres, according to Nigeria’s National Centre For Disease.
The relatively low death rates in Nigeria is mild compared to international figures, but increasing concerns that a major outbreak would overwhelm the country’ highly underfunded health system has led to a strictly prevention is better than cure mechanism.
“It is a matter of life and death,” Buhari said of the nation’s response. “The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable.” The news comes as a blow to the nations 200 million people in Africa’s most populous nation who already endure tough living conditions that includes an unpredictable flow of electric supply amid often soaring temperatures.
Last week, Lagos state’s health commissioner , Jide Odris, warned residents to prepare to answer questions from health workers who are going house-to-house asking about coronavirus symptoms.The health workers will “make inquiries about symptoms of cough, cold and fever”, Prof Akin Abayomi is quoted as saying in a tweet by Lagos state government.
Nigeria recorded its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on Feb. 27 in Lagos, the country’s former capital. The disease has since spread to 20 of total 36 states. while over 85 people have been treated and discharged from isolation centers. The extension of the lockdown will intensify the hardship suffered by of millions of Nigerians living hand-to-mouth, often on less than one dollar a day. A journalist representative of BBC News Africa, anonymously told The Eye Of Media.Com:
”What is particularly worrying about this lockdown is that entire families are at home given school closures, making it very frustrating for the men of the house in those circumstances where food or income , or in some cases both, are in short supply. It can be very frustrating and in many cases, exacerbate domestic violence in families that have such history”.
Buhari said he was “fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage”.
“But despite these realities, we must not change the restrictions,” he added.
MEASURES
The government has pledged a series of support measures to ease the financial pain for the most vulnerable, but there have been widespread complaints that not enough is being done for those facing hunger.” Nigerian police said on Monday that they were bolstering forces in Lagos and Ogun after almost 200 suspects were arrested amid fears of a spike in crime during the lockdown.
Buhari said compliance with the stay-at-home order and other restrictions introduced by state governors across the country had been “generally good”. He warned that “a new wave of infections were likely. The Nigerian president also said the federal government, which has also been distributing cash and food, would add 1 million households to the programme, which is currently targeting 2.6 million.
He also said the government would develop a comprehensive policy to bring its economy through the crisis, and set up a task force to minimise the impact of lockdowns on farmers and the agricultural sector.