Covid-19 Pandemic: Cases, Causes & Confusion in Nigeria.
By Rollison Edewor
Cases: As of April 26th, Nigeria has recorded 1182 (BBC-Pidgin) cases, with 222 discharged and 35 dead. In the month of March, the Nigerian government and other financial entities, as well as philanthropists, injected more than $57 million (Financial Injection) into the economy. These values exclude other unknown individual contributions to selected areas using materials or food items in place of funding. The EU also boosts the country with another EUR50 million (EUR to Nigeria), in addition to Nollywood contributions of about $2 million (UN mobilizes Nollywood) through UN mobilization.
Questions are; Can the money be accounted for?. Any sign of equitable distribution?. Are the numbers made up to solicit financial funding?. Are they COVID-19 cases or stigma of societal fear to assume a mere fever for it? (Malaria or Covid-19).
Causes and Confusion: Even with these numbers, the cry to survive echoes in the country as citizens assert that they prefer the virus infection to hunger (Covid-19 better than Hunger). With no means to survive or feed the family, people defy the order to stay home. Instead, push to hunt for bread. Although many government entities claim to distribute food items. The question remains; what is a loaf of bread to a family of 5, locked down for 2 weeks?. What good is a bag of rice to a community of 60? (I prefer the VIRUS). The joke becomes the cause. Perhaps we can put the blame on lack of equitable distribution (Hunger & COVID-19).
Opportunities sleeping away: With fewer cases in Africa compared to the European countries or the West. African countries, Nigeria in particular, should have mobilized its medical teams, both professional and trainees to break tiles. With thousands of medical students all over the country's medical schools, this can be a perfect opportunity to join the train or equip the thousands of medical and nursing students to either help the people or support the West (Role of medical students). Afterall China did the same in the midst of large cases. Instead of bringing the Chinese medical team or students, Nigeria should unleash its medical trainees or students. This time is the period of craftmanship with the little resources you have (Medical students can help).
For article references and sources. See https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/covid-19-cases-curses-confusion-nigeria-rollison-edewor/
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