The Corona Virus Disease 2019 commonly called COVID - 19 is a novel viral disease which has been linked to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and some other type of common cold. First identified amid an outbreak of respiratory illness in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. It was reported formally by the World Health Organization on 31st December, 2019. However, following its destructive effects and danger posed on the human life, it was declared a pandemic on 11th March 2020. It has been a matter of international concern and public health emergency. This virus is often spread during close contact through small droplets produced by sneezing, coughing or coming in contact with an already infected surface. With signs and symptoms like high temperature, dizziness, dry cough and fever which are common to most diseases, to difficulty in breathing and loss of sense of smell and taste which are more peculiar to it. This virus has shown that everyone regardless of the social status is quite susceptible and must take adequate preventive measures.
A close look at the current COVID - 19 data by the WHO shows close to five million confirmed infection cases with over three hundred and twenty thousand reported deaths and over a quarter of these deaths coming from the United States alone. This shows that this pandemic has seriously altered the way government, business and institutions have been run. Various programs and conferences have either been cancelled, put on hold or virtualized, the course of business has also been altered with different areas experiencing a great plunge in the financial market while others have also made a fortune out of the situation. The modus operandi have also changed as most companies now work remotely and different countries are charting a new course. With all these new trends going on globally, Nigeria as the giant of Africa cannot afford to be left behind. Hence, the need to glean on the occurrences within this period, critically analyze the situation, gather enough lessons and prepare for the Post COVID - 19 era.
Prior to the identification of the index COVID - 19 case on February 22nd 2020, the federal government stated that they were prepared to tackle the challenges. However, a report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that Nigeria only had two testing centers with only one isolation center in the country which lacked the requisite facilities needed for optimal operation. Although this has increased within this period, it is an important lesson for the nation not to wait for a disease outbreak before putting things in place. This delay in construction and readiness of the needed facilities meant that many persons who contracted the disease may not have been identified, leading to a spread of the virus and possibly unaccounted deaths too.
Meanwhile, the recent pandemic also showed to a large extent, the flaws and cracks in the Nigerian health sector. This sector has been plagued with poor funding, inadequate infrastructural facilities and health equipment, poor health orientation and a massive brain drain as a result of poor remuneration of heath workers. This has reduced the impact at which Nigeria has tackled this pandemic. In 2001, Nigeria had committed to spend at least 15% of its budget on the health sector but the recent budget shows that only 4.14% of the budget was directed towards this area. There has also been poor motivation and encouragement for the medical professionals who were very much actively involved in the fight against this pandemic as it was reported that some of them were being owed their arrears during this period. According to the president of Nigerian Medical Associated (NMA) Dr. Francis Faduyile, Nigerian doctors earn a paltry five thousand naira which is only but a far cry when compared to what their colleagues earn in other west African countries. Hence, this is a wake up call to stop the politicization of this all important field because health is wealth.
Another important lesson from this pandemic is that Nigeria should think of diversification of the economy. Although many countries have been affected, Nigeria, which is a monolithic economy appears to be one of the most hit. A recent look at the nation's statistics show that the price of Nigerian oil (Bonny light) which was hinged at a base of $57 per barrel from the 2020 budget fell to $20 during this period. According to the report of the Nigerian Bereau of Stastics, the annual inflation rate has increased to 12.26% in March 2020 from 12.20%. This represents a rise for the seventh straight month leading to a devaluation of the naira. Therefore, if Nigeria must survive the new economic tides, there is need to look at other sectors of the economy such as solid minerals, agriculture and the industry as a whole.
Furthermore, Nigeria has a lot of work to do in ensuring food security in every state of the nation. The nation witnessed a lot of lockdowns both imposed by the federal and state government at different levels. This led to food scarcity and great hike in price of food commodities creating a lot of pressure for the poor masses. Many persons had to reduce their food intake and hunger was at its peak. Even with the provision of little palliative by both individuals, corporate bodies and and different levels of government, the absence of a secure food source for many states has led to great poverty and scarcity during this period. Hence the need to encourage agriculture, empower the citizens and encourage agriculture at all levels, empower the citizens and encourage agricultural extension and provision of large storage facilities to ensure food to the masses all year round.
Moreover, there is a great demand for digital literacy in the nation. With the nature of the disease which spreads easily during close contact, there has arisen a great demand to change how things are done. Many companies have started working remotely, most conferences and meetings virtualized and courses run on the internet with open access from any part of the world. The educational sector has not been left behind because some institutions abroad have begun online classes with students writing their exams, defending their thesis and projects without affecting the graduation schedule. Meanwhile, some have begun to use machine learning, virtual and augumented reality to interact with machines even without their physical presence. Unfortunately, even with this rapid changes going on in the world, there is need to address this sector in Nigeria. The Nigerian Bureau of stastics shows that the adult illiteracy rate stands at 56.9% and 95% of Nigerians not owning a personal computer. This shows that there is still a long way to go in order to ensure that the average Nigerian adult can work in the new technological world which has necessitated the need for digital education.
In addition, one sector that must be improved in this area of digitalization is the power sector. One cannot talk of perfectly setting up and running a digitalized economy without proper power generation. It is sad to note that even though the nation has the potential to generate above 12,000 megawatts of electric power, only about 4000 megawatts is generated daily which is grossly insufficient. Therefore, there is need to ensure that this sector is adequately developed.
Moreso, there is the need to empower our local industries to ensure that the market is filled with made-in-Nigeria goods. Most essential commodities are now scarce and costly due to the increased demand. These products can be manufactured and sourced locally but the culture of foreign preference has brought untold hardship to the citizens. However, there is need for standardiazation and regulatin of quality to ensure that the needed quality is preserved. The government can also encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in order to become financially stable and buoyant in the face of the economic pressures encountered in the market.
Also, there should be massive campaigns to reduce unemployment and unemployabilty. The recent pandemic showed that certain companies wanted to reduce their non - essential work force as a result of the downturn in the economy. Hence there is need for individuals to build themselves and be empowered to possess requisite skills needed by their organization. Labour unions must also become proactive so that job security can be ensured.
Finally COVID - 19 has taught us a lesson to remain strong and united not minding our religious, political and cultural differences. Palliatives should not be shared through nepotism and the need to ensure that everyone is safe should be uttermost in our minds because one infected person poses a great risk to the rest of the population. Meanwhile, the sickness is not peculiar to any sect or gender. Therefore, everyone should work cooperatively so that our motto "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress " would be actualised.
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