By Shola Oshunkeye
President Muhammadu Buhari, Sunday, yielded to public pressure and made a national broadcast that should inspire hope, rather than fear, among Nigerians as the country continues the battle to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in Nigeria.
After enumerating the progress made so far by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) in the effort to develop a workable National Response Strategy which, he said, was being reviewed on a daily basis as the requirements changed, he imposed restrictions on movement within Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital, Abuja.
The restrictions come into effect from 11 p.m. on Monday, March 30, 2020, and would apply to Ogun State because of its proximity to Lagos State, as well as the high traffic between the two states.
Lagos State is the epicentre of the virus in Nigeria, accounting for majority of the 97 cases.
“All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes,” Buhari ordered in the broadcast. “Travel to or from other states should be postponed. All businesses and offices within these locations should be fully closed during this period.”
And to ensure full compliance with the order, the President said: “The Governors of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Minister of the FCT have been notified. Furthermore, heads of security and intelligence agencies have also been briefed.”
“We will use this containment period to identify, trace and isolate all individuals that have come into contact with confirmed cases,” he continued. “We will ensure the treatment of confirmed cases while restricting further spread to other States.”
However, the presidential order does not apply to “hospitals and all related medical establishments as well as organizations in health care related manufacturing and distribution.”
Also exempted are commercial establishments such as: food processing, distribution and retail companies; petroleum distribution and retail entities; power generation, transmission and distribution companies; as well as private security companies are also exempted.
But there is a caveat to these exemptions: access to them will be restricted and monitored.
Other exemptions include workers in telecommunication companies, broadcasters, print and electronic media staff who can prove they are unable to work from home.
In the same vein, President Buhari reiterated that all “seaports in Lagos shall remain operational in accordance with the guidelines I issued earlier,” but “Vehicles and drivers conveying essential cargoes from these Ports to other parts of the country will be screened thoroughly before departure by the Ports Health Authority.
Also, the President ordered that “all vehicles conveying food and other essential humanitarian items into these locations (ports) from other parts of the country will also be screened thoroughly before they are allowed to enter these restricted areas.
“Accordingly, the Hon. Minister of Health is hereby directed to redeploy all Port Health Authority employees previously stationed in the Lagos and Abuja Airports to key roads that serve as entry and exit points to these restricted zones.”
That is not all. Buhari ordered the suspension of operations by all passenger aircraft, both commercial and private jets, adding that “Special permits will be issued on a needs basis.”
All these measures are, however, not without consideration for residents of satellite and commuter towns and communities around Lagos and Abuja whose livelihoods, the President acknowledged, would “will surely be affected by some of these restrictive measures.” He, therefore, promised that relief materials shall be deployed to them “to ease their pains in the coming weeks.”
Again, the President acknowledged that although schools are closed, he disclosed that he had instructed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to work with state governments to develop “a strategy on how to sustain the school feeding program during this period without compromising our social distancing policies,” adding that the Minister “will be contacting the affected States and agree on detailed next steps.”
Buhari also ordered a three-month repayment moratorium for all TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni loans with immediate effect.
Similarly, he ordered that a similar moratorium be given to all Federal Government-funded loans issued by the Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA), and the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEIB).
“For on-lending facilities using capital from international and multilateral development partners, I have directed our development financial institutions to engage these development partners and negotiate concessions to ease the pains of the borrowers,” the President further directed.
President Buhari also gave deep thought to the most vulnerable in the society as he ordered that conditional cash transfers be paid for the next two months with immediate effect. Internally displaced persons, IDPs, will also receive two months of food rations in the coming weeks.
Buhari employed Nigerians to observe, religiously, all the personal hygiene protocols, recommended by the World Health Organisation, and medical experts, to contain the spread of the virus.
For now, the President said, “the best and most efficient way to avoid getting infected is through regular hygienic and sanitary practices as well as social distancing.”
He reiterated that Nigerians, as individuals, remained the greatest weapon to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By washing our hands regularly with clean water and soap, disinfecting frequently used surfaces and areas, coughing into a tissue or elbow and strictly adhering to infection prevention control measures in health facilities, we can contain this virus,” Buhari assured.
He also appealed to Nigerians to show compassion to vulnerable persons in their communities by offering them palliatives that should help them to cope with the harsh realities of this emergency period occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic rocking the world.
The President would not quit without a jab at those vilifying him for not talking to Nigerians in these difficult times.
He said: “In Nigeria’s fight against COVID-19, there is no such thing as an overreaction or an under reaction. It is all about the right reaction by the right agencies and trained experts.”
