What I have to say by Nnamdi Ezelum writing from New Delhi,India.

WHAT I HAVE TO SAY 

In these and other times,the world has always pronounced itself a “warlord”,fighting against “invisible enemies”.The truth is also coming true that the world as at today is stranded,and one would wish that it grows back-not to what it was but instead-towards what we want it to be -a world free of viruses.The world has been caught off guard and the focus is no longer on the future but on how to survive the miserable days of now:we cannot in all fairness emphasise confidence about the future without focusing on the present.

I am a Nigerian and in the three months of watching,Nigeria has made a point of publicly showing the world her commitment to ending the spread of Covid-19 pandemic,much to the approbation of the world’s Premier Health Organisation,the World Health Organization(WHO).But the point is:to the extent that the world recognises Nigeria’s efforts to fighting Covid-19 to a grinding halt,it’s still pretty early to do so in a self-congratulatory terms.That Nigeria will win this fight is true,but this is so far as her efforts go with the the combined efforts of both the citizenry and the government.Anything short of this will smack off danger-which its grave effects would call into question our bragging point that “we are on top of the situation”.In the same vein,Nigeria has employed different measures that serve to curtail the raging inferno of Covid-19.Measures like imposition of curfews and lockdowns are all signs that we are winning the war in foreseeable future.Lockdowns are necessary but shouldn't last too long because our economy and people can not survive long lockdowns like in developed countries.I think Nigeria needs to develop strategies suitable for our peculiar situation. And I think that's what the FG is doing by gradual relaxation of the Lockdown from 4th May.

As of this writing,Nigeria’s case even with the measures being put in place by the government,seems like a match conceived in a Gambler’s shop:from one confirmed case on February 27,to two thousand plus cases as at today.As I write,I am equally under the impression that a certain governor in the northern part of Nigeria is torn between the need for a forceful acceptance that the increasing spate of deaths in his state is Covid-19 related and his self convictions that the deaths might be linked to one such “mysterious instances” of mysterious deaths.Another governor from the South South part of Nigeria is somehow threatened by the leering gaze of his conscience whether to accept as true or not the statistical accuracy of the index cases reported in his state.Even as day breaks and nights wear on,a trader somewhere in Onitsha,Balogun market,Afor Obollo are all busy bribing their way to their shops in seeming defiance of the rapidly spreading pandemic.Another sets of irate youths in Kano state have taken to the streets with chants of “Babu Corona,Babu Corona”(No Corona,No Corona).Taken together,the fact to glean from the above instances is simply that an average Nigerian is less ashamed of his fears.When he watches a funeral procession for victims of Covid-19 in say-Italy,his reactions beget solidarity.He imagines a lonely and fearful world full of uncertainties,but immediately draws out from his loneliness the moment he excludes his own fear.He thinks of the dead man in Italy as most unfortunate;but he is hardly mortified by his own fear of dying for showing same crass carelessness that may have killed an Italian man.Such is the grace that comes with being a Nigerian-we only fear our own fear and not the fear of others.But this is not just peculiar to Nigeria alone-the history of pandemics as a Writer rightly observed,has always presented the incompetence,carelessness,denial by individuals and governments as the instigators of the fury of the masses,especially in the face of pandemics.However,part of what I briefly want to achieve here is to establish a neat line of similarity between the current Covid-19 and the historical outbreak of pandemic in the past from a more literary perspective.

I came from a literature background and I can say with a knowing air that the subject of pandemics in literature of plagues never veered off from the impression that pandemics at every stage in human history are alike-and that this similarity are not only with germs and viruses-but that our initial response and attitude to the outbreak of pandemics have always been the same:Denial,Carelessness,and Incompetence.Few historical instances can suffice:

In “A Journal of the Plague Year”,Writer Daniel Dafoe reports in 1664 how local authorities in some London neighbourhoods tried to make the number of plague deaths appear lower than it was by registering other invented diseases as recorded cause of death.This account,though not completely true,is in a sense so true for Akwa-Ibom state where it has been alleged that the state Chief Epidemiologist was sacked on the basis that he took  thirty one(31) samples of Covid-19 suspected cases for testing whereas his Principal,the Commissioner for Health had instructed that he takes only ten (10)samples.

Similarly,in 1827 novel,“The Bethrothed”,the Italian Writer,Alessandro Manzoni describes and supports the local population’s anger at the official response to the 1630 plague in Milan,where inspite of the evidence,the governor of Milan ignores the threat posed by the disease and will not even cancel a local Prince’s birthday celebration.This again amply reflects in part,the true situation in Kano state where the state governor is appealing to the federal government to relax a lockdown;also where some state officials are almost completely 100 percent in agreement that the rising number of deaths in the state were not Covid-19 related;and where the youths have taken to the streets to dare a virus that has claimed over two-million lives globally and brought the world to its knees.

Picking a strand from the above two accounts,I seem to think that the extent of humanity’s pride in the subject of their own history is shaped primarily by history’s ability to judge either kindly or harshly following from past experiences with pandemics.However,observation is correct that throughout human history,responses to pandemics have always been fed less by objectivity and based more on denials,incompetence and carelessness.There is a danger ahead and to stave off this impending doom,Nigeria should consider herself lucky-and see her not-too-many cases as comparatively a home field advantage if governments at different levels should show competence in their handling of this crisis,and if citizens are willing to accept Covid-19 for what it is-a real danger!

You may take this for a trivia,but I do know that if the earth were to be a courting bride,a friend-say,Jupiter must by now be offering her a tearful embrace in consolation for her recent heartbreak by a heartless lover-Covid 19.But While this last,let’s eat healthy,wash our hands regularly and stick to social distancing protocols to avoid more heartbreaks.

Nnamdi Ezelum 

New Delhi,India.