I have read many articles by experts stating that the COVID-19 pandemic will reach an alarming rate about two weeks from now in Africa. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has asked for an emergency economic stimulus of $100 billion for Africa. I have even read about recommendations for immediate debt relief for developing countries which shows the seriousness of the economic havoc that this pandemic would cause.
Ironically five (5) African countries are yet to record any cases of COVID-19. Nigeria which is the most populous country in Africa has witnessed 4 deaths out of a population of almost 200 million or thereabout. This region can be described as the poverty centre of the world with over 90 million people living in extreme poverty.
I fear that more people will die from issues tangentially related to COVID-19 than the disease itself like hunger and starvation, just to mention a few. These deaths can be avoided if we are sensitive to our peculiar environment that requires people to go out every day to work in order to feed themselves. With half of the population living in extreme poverty, many of them will run out of money and food within the 14-day lock down. Would they not be honestly justified in going out to fend for their families and wellbeing at that point? This scenario is a tinderbox. Our leaders need ingenuity in order to tackle this situation.
We are at war with a virus and as a country we must develop our own strategy in order to defeat this enemy. We must not adopt the cut and paste approach. Our solution must be corruption free, adapted to our environment and open. We strongly advocate that medication currently being used in isolation centres should be made available like pure water nationwide – even if it is chloroquine!!!
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Please stay safe, practice social distancing, exercise and remain spiritually fulfilled. I wish each and every one of us pristine health.
Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheCable.
