[dropcap]G[/dropcap]rassroots Publishers online, in this piece, examines how what is now known among Deltans as ‘hunger virus’ and the siege of hoodlums on some communities are threatening to scuttle the chances of the lockdown to win the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa , on April 14, addressed the state and unveiled the strategies by his regime to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which started in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China late 2019. In the address, Okowa adopted a similar strategy of lockdown being used in states like Lagos, Ogun to tackle the virus, which has halted the economies of state around the nation.
The lockdown, as expected, has paralysed business activities and the informal sector of the economy, where a huge percentage of the population in the state is engaged has been badly affected. With the movement restriction order, millions of people who earn their living from proceeds of their daily activities are being battered by hunger. While many resort to begging to survive, some youths, especially those with criminal tendencies, have been moving from house to house, terrorising helpless and defenceless citizens, who are already pummelled by hunger.
The growing insecurity in the states is threatening the efficacy of the lockdown already as residents gathered in large numbers at night to ward off hoodlums attacking them. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for residents who form vigilance groups to observe the social distancing rule while fighting to stave off the rampaging armed robbers that mill around in large numbers.
Many had hoped that the hoodlums terrorising the innocent citizens would shift their focus from residential areas if Okowa should lift the lockdown order. However, the Gov. Okowa said the lockdown had helped to curb the spread of the virus to some extent and it would be extended by another two weeks to further help win the war against this invisible enemy.
Okowa said, “With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Delta State for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with government in this fight.
“This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death.Churches and Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peter’s Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax.
“This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear. The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable. We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer.”
To survive the lockdown period, some persons including artisans, okada riders, commercial drivers have been defying the stay-at-home order and are going out to look for means of feeding their family members. Aside from this category of people, hoodlums also gather in large numbers to invade communities and terrorise innocent people. To stave off the attacks, affected residents also gather together in large numbers and make bonfires from dusk till dawn everyday. These large gatherings are defeating the essence of the lockdown and many believe that, if care is not taken, the state may not gain much from the lockdown despite the sacrifices being made.
The Chairman of Lifeguard Ltd, Chief Charles Okonkwo while speaking to this Grassroots Publishers Online, raised the alarm that hungry Deltans defying the lockdown and hoodlums moving about in large numbers could cause further spread of the dreaded virus.
He said, “The virus does not move about, people move it and that is why it spreads fast. The lockdown may become ineffective to curb it if people, especially unauthorised people, are allowed to move about. Those people moving about from place to place, the hoodlums moving in large numbers and even those forming vigilante groups to stop their attackers, are threatening the efficacy of the lockdown.
“I know that many Deltans depend on what they make on a daily basis to survive and, for almost a month now, they have not worked. They will go out in search of food if they do not have what to eat and you cannot blame residents congregating in large numbers to ward off attacks. We are also worried because there are areas where the youths gather in large numbers to play football and you can’t play football and still observe social distancing.
“The government’s palliatives (Food Bank) they are talking about have not reached the real vulnerable people in the state who need them the most and that is why you see them going out in search of their daily bread. We beg those in charge of the distribution of these palliatives to imbibe equity and justice. I believe people will obey the stay-at-home order if the palliatives can go round. Government should also do more to make the palliatives get to more vulnerable people. Security agencies should also devise new strategies to combat crime so that people can feel secure while staying at home.”
The Okowa palliatives being distributed must not be politicised but should be given to the vulnerable people to encourage them to obey the government’s directive.
Okonkwo said, “Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended says the welfare and security of citizens shall be the primary purpose of government. COVID-19 pandemic is a clear test case of the import of that provision. Of the desirable good things of life, good health and longevity are the ultimate. It is the responsibility of governments to promote good health for all.
“The United Nations in its different protocols and resolutions lends credence to this. Lockdown by government at federal and state levels are a vehicle to promoting good health, longevity and avoid premature deaths by preventing community spread of COVID-19. We should remind ourselves that the majority of Nigerians operate at the informal sector of the economy with all its vicissitudes and imponderables. Lockdown implies freezing of income, and unemployment for majority of Nigerians.
“An Ibusa adage says he who ties down a goat must provide it with feeding. Governments at all levels must make provisions for compensations to those who are losing income as a result of freedom of movement. To do otherwise is an invitation to chaos and lawlessness. Should governments feel persuaded to do so, it needs rigorous social research and data, which may not be readily available.
“But hungry people suffering from pains of the lockdown cannot wait forever. What then can be done? Governments can then resort to what they are at best doing — guesswork. The scale of suffering under the lockdown is unprecedented. And Deltans of different social classes are responding in diverse ways. All sorts of coping strategies are being improvised. Deltans who have as well non-governmental organisations are also intervening in the lives of the core poor. But these subsidies cannot travel far. Near total coverage of the vulnerable population is the responsibility of governments at all levels. There can be no excuses to allow the poor to die. This will be social murder.
“These interventions must not be for political patronage and hegemonic consolidation. It must be undertaken with dignity and a large dose of humanity. I have seen only jamboree and chaos in much of the recent interventions. Indeed, the targets are being missed and many are grabbing from all available sources. The loopholes are profound and the politics of distribution has been petty and dirty. In some ugly scenes, people are being asked for party membership cards or voters card. Are the effects of lockdown immune to colour of political party, religion, race or ethnicity?
“To do otherwise will produce further misery, hunger, stealing, robbery and generalised breakdown of law and order. If government responds with force, deaths may be the outcome. Avoidance of death, which the lockdown seeks to prevent, may, painfully though, become the eventual outcome. Governments must not allow the situation to degenerate to the point of escalating the current unacceptable security architecture.”
The private and corporate donations to the state Government to assist in the fight against COVID-19, stated categorically that a substantial part of the fund should be given to assist the vulnerable people to cope at this time because their means of livelihoods had been frozen by the lockdown.
The one week left of the second part of the lockdown order will determine if the objective of the 14-day stay-at-home directive would be met or not. Either way, the security agencies have a pivotal role to play in government’s determination to rid the nation of the deadly virus.
“I know that security agents are trying but they need to do more. The IGP should empower commissioners of police to do more because they are the ones on the ground in their respective states. This will make the area commands and divisional police stations to do more. The police are even lucky because they have the complement of the military around on law enforcement duties. This should be maximised.”
“There is the need to ensure security of lives and properties in such areas as well. Hoodlums take advantage of porous situations like this and it may not be limited to Delta communities alone. So, security men all over the country should be at alert and do more, especially at this time so that the nation can be safe.