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By Anthony AJERO
Corona Hunger Gun-Powder
The Hunger Virus is wreaking havoc.
Nigerians attacking a vehicle in broad day light and running away with yam tubers. An Edo man stripping naked in public in protest against government officials. His wife and three children hungry, he screams: ‘what do you want me to do?’ Mobs raiding entire Lagos neighbourhoods – homes and shops -; and machete-wielding, war songs-chanting vigilante groups reacting. Some communities have been on a three-day obligatory vigil. In place of hymns and prayers, tyre-burning and war songs are the key tools. The common enemy? Hunger.
Effective crisis management begins while issues are ‘underground’, yet to mainstream. These issues are confronted with empathy, solutions, and communication. This is one reason government should be utilising social media. Not trying (with certain failure) to muzzle voices.
Rocket science was never essential in seeing how forefront hunger is with this lockdown in Nigeria. Yet, we have not proffered practical solutions. Government’s talk of a 2.6 (3.6) million “social register” in a country where over 70% of its 200 million population are poor puzzles! Worse still, leaders cry they haven’t seen any such palliatives in their communities.
The Edo man who stripped naked said “is it not better to die of the virus than of hunger”? Surely, the signs warn we can’t wait for more people to fall into this existential thinking. The consequences are too dangerous to imagine. We need to find a way to put money into people’s hands. With BVNs and bank accounts, this shouldn’t be rocket science either. Many other countries have done same.
Mr. President Sir: We Need Hope
I watched my President’s broadcast on Monday. There were a lot of points recounting the journey and the plans. It didn’t give me hope. Not in the least. Is it that the President is a poor communicator; that his people didn’t provide the right messaging; or both? Now, more than ever, Mr. President, Nigerians need hope.
Lastline: Another 14 days locked down challenges our situation even further. It is in our hands: please obey the rules. Stay home. Wash hands. Use Sanitizers. Wear masks. Pray hard.
Globally | U.S.A | Africa | Nigeria | ||
|
Total Cases | 1, 949, 661+ | 587, 357+ | 15,346+ | 343+ |
|
Deaths | 121, 927+ | 23, 649+ | 835+ | 10+ |
|
Recoveries | 460, 541 | 44, 207 | 2,946 | 91+ |
Remarks | Infected nations: 52 Virus-free: 2 Lesotho & Comoros |
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