In Nigeria, politicians are not known to be friendly with the people. They pretend to be, only when an election draws nearer. They come with all manner of promises and with their sugar-coated lips they hoodwink the people to cast their votes. After elections, they never come back until time for another circle of polling.
This has been the culture here. So, whenever a politician begins to dangle carrot, he must be angling for something.
The announcement by some state governors lifting ban on movement restrictions to enable residents and indigenes of their states mark the Easter could be described as the smile of a vampire.
In some of these states, innocent people were arrested and treated like common criminals for the simple fact that they violated the sit-at-home directive by government. State governments had mounted campaign and sensitisation programme on the need for people to stay home in their own interest.
The ban on movements was necessitated by the leap in the number of the coronavirus cases being recorded in Nigeria, and it was believed that getting Nigerians to sit-at-home could help contain the spread. Although many people had made a bone out of the restrictions on account of the high level of poverty in the country, many others have also insisted that there is no alternative than to stay home if the COVID-19 war would be won.
In Lagos for instance, many residents see the sit-at-home directive as a way to punish them. Some even manifest outright ignorance about the existence of the virus in the country. They ask about the identity of the so-called Italian who was said to have brought the virus into the country; they asked about the names of those being treated, discharged or those declared dead by government on account of the disease.
They believe the coronavirus that is in Nigeria is not the same that is wreaking havoc in Italy, America, Britain, Spain and other places. It is also their thinking that Nigerian politicians are out for some mischief with the claim that the virus is in Nigeria.
And because of their level of understanding of what is happening, they willfully flout the social distance, and stay-at-home directives. You see markets in full activity; people milling in and out of markets buying and selling; people in drinking joints playing draft, Ludo games and all manner of gambling activities going on. In some places, you see some youths sitting idly and throwing banters. Some others play football on the streets. Football is a body-contact game and they care less about the negative consequences.
In some parts of Lagos State, you would think that there were free movements with the high vehicular traffic on the road. Apapa area is a beehive of activities. There is constant holdup, not just of tankers and trailers, but of normal vehicles. The policemen and LASTMA officials on the road are overwhelmed.
While people are neglecting to abide by the restrictions, Nigeria is recording more and more cases of the virus infestation. It simply means that nothing has changed. And while many concerned Nigerians are even thinking that government should come up with a stricter method of enforcement of the directive, governors are breaking the ranks, declaring free movements for their people to celebrate Easter.
What they have done is just to confirm the faulty assumption by some people that the coronavirus in Nigeria was just a mere story to hoodwink them. Some now ask if you were more knowledgeable or informed by the state governors who in their wisdom decided to relax the sit-at-home directive for the sake of Easter celebration.
Reacting on his twitter account, Harvey Olufumilayo, a medical practitioner, said, “It’s beginning to look like some state governors need the virus in their states to get some Sinzu FG funds.”
Aisha Yesufu, another Nigerian, tweeted: “Now that Governors are lifting the lockdown orders for people to attend religious events no one is consulting the devil. When a spread of the virus due to this irresponsible event happens you will remember that the devil is a liar! Okay oooooh!”
