Pascal Oparada
On August 6, 2014, the then Nigerian Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu announced the index case of Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria.
It was a Liberian Lawyer, Patrick Oliver Sawyer who was the harbinger of Ebola which was ravaging the African continent, who brought death to our doorsteps.
He had boarded a flight from Monrovia to Lagos for a workshop, knowing he is unwell but had hoped that once he got to Nigeria, our healthcare system would cater to him. That much his wife told the world when he was upbraided for infecting Nigerians on purpose.
It took the heroic effort of Ameyo Adedevo and the staff at First Consultant Hospital to stop Sawyer and death on their tracks.
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Adedevo paid the supreme sacrifice by holding down Sawyer who was bent on going all the way to Port Harcourt for his conference.
Nigeria quickly swung into action with aggressive contact tracing, quarantine and daily media briefing that kept Nigerians abreast of the efforts of the government. Fashola, the then governor of Lagos State, now Minister of Works, was presidential in his approach.
Nigeria defeated Ebola and was the first country in the world and Africa to become Ebola-free.
Fast forward to 2020.
On February 28, 2020, Nigeria announced the index case of an Italian national who came into the country infected with Coronavirus.
The world has a global pandemic of epic proportions in its hand. Tens of thousands are either in quarantine or in self-isolation because of the ravaging effects of COVID-19 otherwise known as Coronavirus. Thousands have died of the disease.
If we do not learn from history, it is too bad.
Up to date the global infection of COVID-19 is over 340,000 with 14,704 deaths. That is something to worry about.
As of March 22, Nigeria has 30 cases mostly in densely populated Lagos. There have been two successfully treated cases in Nigeria and one death so far.
During the Ebola epidemic, Nigeria raised their awareness of the disease to the highest standards. Street women and schoolchildren were singing jingles created to raise awareness of Ebola.
The drastic measures of closing down schools, public places, worship centres did not happen during the Ebola period because we quickly adapted to hygienic practice and social distancing.
On Sunday, March 22, not a few Nigerians were appalled to see security agencies battle to keep worship centres closed.
They went as far as arresting some clergymen who flouted government directives to avoid a gathering of more than 20 persons.
We don’t learn from history at all.
The Nigerian government after grandstanding with Coronavirus for weeks, after the Italian was diagnosed with COVID-19, finally ate the humble pie and shut down airports and banned flights from high-risk countries.
Analysts said it was too late as there have been record infections in the country.
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, who told the Nigerian government to close its borders at the inception of COVID-19, announced that his son has contracted the virus.
First Lady, Aisha Buhari announced that her daughter who came in from the UK has gone into isolation, having been exposed to COVID-19.
It is no longer a joke. Coronavirus has no regards to class or creed. It is a sneaky virus.
Countries all over the world are preparing as if they were going to war. That is the approach required to combat this monster.
Stores and restaurants are closing down in the UK. The country is contemplating a total lockdown and threatening to arrest people who refuse to stay home to limit the number of gatherings approved by the government.
Germany is poised to announce a stimulus package. American congress is voting billions for people affected by the coronavirus.
The streets of New York, the epicentre of the disease in the U.S. are deserted.
For the first time ever, the New York Stock Exchange has shut down and has gone fully electronic. It is war.
New Zealand has made self-Isolation mandatory. India has taken stricter measures. New Delhi is on lockdown. Singapore has shut its borders.
Italy, the worst-hit country in the world, is gasping for breath, begging for medical aid. The country is completely overwhelmed.
But in Nigeria we are seeped in our old ways, lying to ourselves that Coronavirus isn’t real, unlike we did during Ebola time.
These are desperate times that require desperate measures.
Let us fight this in Nigeria as if we are fighting insurgency because it is far worse than that.
