“Social crimes like unrest and discomfort can lead to civil unrest. ‘However, there are lessons for Nigerian government to learn, is that, a country where the data delineation of her citizens cannot be accessed is heading to perdition”.
By Daniel Njienue and Sunny Atam, April 3, 2020, news/comments
| Ekiti State: As the dreadful coronavirus hits one million, with thousands deaths reported. This has posed a serious challenge to countries whose citizens suffer this menace, which Nigeria is not an exemption, as Nigeria’s case rises to more 184. Speaking on the situation with Afrikanwatch Network yesterday afternoon on the psychological effect of the lock-down and the virus on global economy and the citizens among others is Dr. Samuel Fasanmi, an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, who lectures at the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State said that, the anxiety over the alarming rate of effected persons is very worrisome, and admonished citizens not to panic but reduce their fear. “Every available pointer is about fear. Fear is bad for our overall well-being. The consciousness of lockdown. It is like imprisonment to a lot of Nigerians. That alone is affecting our psyche. News reeling out are mostly alarming and negatives. With just 5.1percent recovery rate in Nigeria and lower percentage in a country like USA-the news is not a cheering one at all. Thus, the negative input we are receiving can bring about negative outputs like anxiety, and fear. The closure of borders, closure of industrial activities, and total lockdown in most economic bustling cities of the world have paralyzed global economic activities. The trade impact of this pandemic is not sparing any country. “The Africa and other underdeveloped countries with low or little reserves may not find it funny if the pandemic lasts longer than one month. In Africa, we ascribe every occurrence to spiritual. This is irrespective of our level of education and exposure. Thus, giving coronavirus a spiritual connotation is not out of context. However, the most urgent need for government in all Africa countries especially Nigeria is social behavioral change to burst the spiritual myth of her citizen and enjoin them to key into hygiene instructions lest the pandemic festers beyond measures”. Dr. Fasanmi stressed further that as an African, it won’t be wrong to also apply spiritual solutions. “A drowning man doesn’t need to obey any rule of engagement, it’s the survival that will matter to him! Yes. It is the best way of stopping the spread of the virus. However, considering our peculiarities in Nigeria, the lock-down is synonymous with imprisonment as the lack of basic facilities to stay at home are mostly unavailable. Thus, we may stop the spread of corona virus but ended up creating more social and psychological problems for our citizens. A lock-down without any reasonable palliative or cushion is an invitation to Crimes” He therefore reiterated that the need for survival will increase and social crimes like unrest and discomfort can lead to civil unrest. ‘However, there are lessons for Nigerian government to learn, is that, a country where the data delineation of her citizens cannot be accessed is heading to perdition. Should there be any palliative measures in Nigeria today, we lack the accurate data to aid its distributions. Data of every living Nigerians should be available, accessible, and use-able. ‘Another lesson is leadership competency. In a time like this when the fate of all Nigerians depends of the ingenuity of our leaders, we know without mincing words that competency on the job is key. Another lesson is preparedness. Some basic things of life should not be compromised.” Continuing, the Psychologist hinted that this pandemic has exposed the insincerity of our government, especially the lip services they are paying on our health sector, wishing the government well in all their efforts to combat this pandemic and pray for urgent solution. “I pray that every of our prayers to bring life back to normal will come to fruition. However, I want to appeal to Nigerian government to do the following quickly: Pay workers’ salaries immediately. Reduce VAT to 4% on all servicing loans. Make transportation free and available to farmers in rural areas to bring foods to the cities. Make electricity available at least 10 hours per day, Compel all elected politicians to go and give palliatives to their constituents. Remove or reduce tax for this period” |
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