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COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu Needs Support Over The Unconventional War, Says Olokoba, A Right Activist

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An activist, Comrade Razaq Olokoba is the National President of the Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), a coalition of over 70 other human rights groups.

 

 

At a media parley in Lagos, Olokoba, who is also a social commentator and political analyst said coronavirus is an unconventional war against the world saying, “therefore, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State needs more support to fight and win the monster with unconventional methods.”

 

 

He, therefore, urged the people to support him to accomplish the task of winning the war, saying, anything that affects Lagos would rob on the whole country and beyond because of its location as a major entry point to the country. Excerpts:

 

 

 

 

Can we have your comments on the deadly coronavirus code-named COVID-19 and how it is being handled in the country?

 

Coronavirus is a migrant disease that descended on the world unannounced. And that is why it has caused some nations, including the advanced ones napping. And because of its strange nature, a lot of nations are bound to start the treatment through trial and error method. And because of the nature of its spread, a careless nation or careless government would panic into making mistakes.

 

This is the reason the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the effect of the virus would be devastating in Africa because of the continent’s lack of preparedness. That must have gingered Governor Babajide Olusola sanwo-Olu of Lagos state to get set in advance for the killer disease. Health facilities, including isolation centres as well as adequately motivated personnel were on ground beforehand to confront the deadly virus frontally. This must have also informed why he rolled out emergency plans and named himself Situation Commander. Only God knows what would have happened if he had not done that. The whole of South-West and Nigeria, in general, would have been in jeopardy because of the strategic location of Lagos as a major entrance to the country.

 

Sanwo-Olu acted swiftly as a well-organised administrator and that saved Nigeria a lot of what could have caused a monumental disaster to the country going by the contagious nature of coronavirus. His action that saved the country from disaster through detection and treatment must have informed the assessment of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nation (UN), that Lagos has done well in the handling of the monster known as COVID-19.

 

 

The disease, according to experts has a pattern of spread. The pattern includes having contact with someone that has contracted it. And because of the economic pattern of African which has to do with daily earnings, the risk of contracting it by a large number of people is very high. So, that informs lockdown that would keep people indoors. And when this happens, starvation would be the order of the day.

 

Against this background, Sanwo-Olu has put in place some measures to cushion the effect of hardship that is envisaged through the provision of palliatives. The difficulties being encountered in the process of implementing the measures are expected. At gestation period of any programme, there is bound to be difficulties. Thankfully enough, however, it is the difficulties that Sanwo-Olu is tackling now and situation of things is being normalised.

 

 

 

Are you saying Sanwo-Olu is a pace setter for other governors to emulate?

 

This step of Lagos is worthy of emulation. It is not like a road construction where other states would have different topographies to contend with. Coronavirus is a migrant disease that spreads through contacts with its victims. And since Lagos happens to be a major entrance to the country, other states should emulate the way Sanwo-Olu is tackling it because any epidemic not properly dealt with in Lagos would put the whole country in trouble.

 

The virus came to us as a shock from outside and that is why even the seat of power was almost caught unawares. And because it is a migrant disease, we must stop its migration further into the hinterland. That is the reason we must close down all our borders until the monster becomes the thing of the past. And the reason Lagos Government should be supported in its onerous task of wrestling down the killer disease.

 

 

 

 

If borders are closed and the country is further locked down, don’t you consider the hardship it would bring in terms of starvation?

 

The earlier we understand that the whole world is in a war situation the better. Unconventional war for that matter where there is no need for guns and bullets and no human beings to handle the guns! It is a war without borders and without sacred zones.

And in a war situation, nobody asks anyone to stay indoors as people on their own would lock themselves up voluntarily.  In a war situation, nobody insists on fundamental human right or freedom of movement or freedom of association. People willingly give their right up in exchange for survival and safety. Nobody would have the luxury of lodging hunger complaint. The preoccupation is always a prayer to stay alive.

 

But the COVID-19 unconventional war is without mercy and respect for anybody. The only item on the agenda list of this invisible enemy is simply a harvest of death.

 

 

 

How then do you think this war with an invisible army could be won?

 

Good question. As dreaded as the monster is, it also has a weak point through which it can be conquered. What we need do however is compliance with all the preventive rules by the generality of the people. It only requires our collective action, discipline and forbearance. COVID-19 cannot survive social and physical distancing. Complacency, ignorance and stubbornness can make it thrive. It is a coward if confronted with an adequate dose of compliance with the preventive rules like social distancing, sanitising the hand and using of face masks among others.

 

 

 

Yet, don’t you think people need other things besides compliance with the rules…..?

 

(Cuts in) That is the reason for the provision of palliatives for the citizenry if we truly want to collectively fight the scourge. Remember that some measures put in place by the authorities are the lockdown that would keep people indoors. And the palliatives must be adequate so as to keep the people effectively at home, or else, there would be unavoidable disobedience from the public. And it would be dangerous to relax because that would amount to taking a step forward and two backward. Against this background, the need has arisen for financial institutions, religious bodies, corporate outfits, social and rights groups, wealthy individuals and foreign donors to assist the government in terms of making more palliatives available to those who really deserve to have them. They are already doing so, but there is a cause to act Oliver Twist by asking for more.

 

Like farmers, for instance, the government must roll out a palliative pattern that would assuage their sufferings. There must be an insurance package for the health workers and adequate package for the downtrodden to assure them of something for their stomachs always. The packages should be done according to the dictates of each state to achieve result just as Sanwo-Olu is doing in Lagos. If people are not well taken care of, they can cut the supply line of the palliatives and thus create more problems that could rubbish the already achieved gains.

 

So, the benefit of the lockdown cannot be overemphasised because if we fail to do so, the spread of the disease in Nigeria could have gone out of hand. And if we must lockdown, we must provide adequate palliatives to keep the people indoor permanently till the end of the war.

 

 

 

Are you then comfortable with the level of compliance from the people over the preventive measures so far?

 

It is not a hundred per cent compliance yet. People have complained to us as human rights groups that their rights are being trampled upon by the lockdown. Yes, we know rights are people’s interest universally. But we are succeeding in convincing some of them that, in epidemic situations, people are bound to willingly volunteer their rights to the authorities to guarantee their safety and survival. Fundamental human rights are enjoyed when one is safe and alive. And since the government is bound to guarantee the welfare of the citizenry with a view to securing their lives and property, the citizenry also owes the government cooperation and assistance to abide by its decision to achieve just that.

 

And that is where the palliatives come in. If the residents are comfortable indoors, they would not have any excuse to flout the stay at home order. So, both the Federal and state governments should go extra miles to make adequate provision for palliatives to go round sufficiently. Kudos to Sanwo-Olu, who has put on ground, palliative measures that have started yielding results that keep people indoors.

 

And with the vigour that the governments across all the tiers are exhibiting, especially Lagos government, there is hope that there would soon be a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

 

 

What advice can you then offer the residents over the need for compliance?

 

The first thing to tell them is that they should know that coronavirus is real and not fabricated. We should tell them it is deadly and highly contagious and so, they should avoid any act that can bring them in contact with the monster. For those who have contracted it, their major concern is how to survive it. So, those of us who have not contracted it, we should shun any act or attitude that can bring us in contact with it because the disease is not a ruse. And to guard against it, we should stay at home and observe all the preventive measures being spelt out on a daily basis.

 

And if you are on essential duties and must go out, you have to be careful by taking all the necessary precautions. An epidemic period is when people have to be organised to avoid avoidable calamity. And if eventually one contracts it, he should know it is not the end of his life as it is not a death sentence. After all, some victims have survived it. It is a war situation we are in now. And in a war situation, the first rule is survival. So, we should obey all the restriction orders to survive because prevention is better and cheaper than cure.

 

 

 

 

Would you support an extension of the lockdown if declared?

 

Yes of course if the need arises for another round of lockdown, we would support it. But the government should allow the people to re-energise themselves by giving them an opportunity to store provision for the next level of restriction. There is no doubt that people have run out of stock in terms of provision and foodstuff.

 

And when going out, the government should make the wearing of face mask mandatory. There must be zero tolerance to overloading by commercial vehicle drivers. And children should be disallowed from going out because research has shown that their immunities are so weak coronavirus would have a greater impact on them than on adults.

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