By Suleima Umaru
Between February , 27, 2020, when the Wuhan Town, in hebei Province of China, emerged Coronavirus, broke out in Nigeria and now, there appear to have been an explosion of the disease in the country.
From an index case of an Italian who came into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, the number of infected COVID 19 victims , according to Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC, has hit1,273 persons while 282 had recovered from the pandemic as at Monday, April 27, 2020.
This may have informed why Enoch Adejare Adeboye , a Pastor and General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, had said that he sympathise with those who had flouted the government Stay at home order. Note that has gone on to disrupt daily, thus for forcing the government at the Federal and state levels to shut down schools, impose lockdowns and restrict large gatherings to curb the spread of the disease.
Aware of the explosion of the deadly disease in the country, the Hajia Zainab Ahmed, ministance of Finance, at he instance of the President had intensified pressure on the International Monetary Fund, IMF, to give approval for its $3.4 billion loan. The government , according to Ahmed is seeking the emergency Funding from the Multi-lateral Financial Institution as part of the measures ‘’ to cushion the impact of the COVID 19, on the economy’’.
The minister has said that the loan was part of the funds being expected from multilateral Financial Organistaions to aid the country in tackling the diseases, which had claimed 40 lives in the country so far. She had told those that cares to listen that the loan would be repaid in five years, an indication that loan and interests will be paid by another Administration in 2025.
Many believe that Ngzi Okonjo-Iwela, a former minister of Finance and Coordinator of the National Economy, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo who was recently given appointment as one of the twelve members of the External Advisory Group of the Fund by Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director , could have facilitated the country getting the loan but she may not.
This is because of her frosty relationship with the Buhari Administration which according to sources tried to rubbish her records in office forcing her to relocate abroad where here her values as an economic expert was recognized by many foreign countries and International Organisations.
Recall that her IMF appointment was quickly followed by that of Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South African and Chairman of the African Union , AU who appointed her a member of the country’s Economic Advisory Group and a Special Envoy of the AU,, to mobilise funds from the G20 donor nations and other multi-lateral Financial Institutions to support the Continental efforts towards addressing the Coronavirus pandemic.
The G-20 Group include the United States, US, United Kingdom, UK, China, Italy, France, Germany South Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, South Africa, India, Indonesia and the European Union, EU. Others are are Australia,Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan and Mexico.
Many believe that for Tedros Thebreyesu, Director General of the World Health Organisation, WHO, to have also appointed the Nigerian former Finance minister and Coordinator of the economy as a Special Envoy for the United Nations, UN, health agency to help mobilise for Funds to tackle the impact of the COVID 19, on speaks volume. Thebreyesus, the WHO, boss was said to have given the Special Envoys the mandate to mobilise international commitment for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID 19 Tools, ACT, accelerator.
The WHO Director General may have sent out the Special Envoys the opportunity to look for funds for the organisation because of the withdrawal of the US, the former sole Financier, which is now feeling the pinch of the deadly disease. The North American country may have withdrawn from further financing of the UN agency because of its anger that all the allocations that had been made to it in the recent time was used to support China in tackling the disease leaving out other countries .
It was not surprising why the country had left the funding of the agency open to all countries. This may have forced the Asian country of China to fill the vacuum left behind by the US by making a $20 Million Commitment to the Organisation even when the Special Envoys on ACT had not reached out to it. The country was said to have also made another $30 million Contribution to the agency to reflect its support and trust since the US, Funding came to a halt.
Global health watchers believe that the agency may not really feel the impact of the US suspension of its Funding as China has pledged to step up support for the Geneva based Organisation saying that the combined $50 million would support the WHO fight against the disease and strengthen the developing economies heath system.
As at April 27, 2020,no fewer than 2,99,757, were said to have been infected by the disease since its outbreak but had claimed 207,021, lives. The WHO in its latest reports disclosed 881,634 of the infected persons across the world had recovered from it , leaving 1,,907,102 ,currently infected patients.
Meanwhile, Osagie Ehanire, the minister of Health and Chikweazu, the Director General, NCDC, on Sunday, April 16, 2020, were said to have briefed the President on the fight against the Coronavirus in the country and the true situation. Based on the facts presented before him, the president may have considered the increasing cases of the disease in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve center and the FCT, as very disappointing, an indication that the lockdown in the south west state of Lagos Ogun and the FCT, may continue for a long time.
This may have informed why Ehanire, had enjoined Nigerians to be patient over the relaxation of the lockdown, stressing that only the President will determine when the lock down in the two major cities of the country will be lifted. According to him ”the President will make the announcement at his own time’’.
This is bad news for many Nigerians who no longer consider staying at home funny, particular, secondary and tertiary, students whose schools had been under lock and key over the last two weeks., frustrating the 2020 West African Examination Council WAEC and National Examination Council, NECO.
