The dreaded virus that originated in China sometime in January 2020 has reached the frontiers of the most populous black nation. It was not bargained even though the level of national sensitization before the first recorded case on 27th February 2020 was high. It is time to wrestle a common ‘enemy’ to a medical standstill irrespective of social and political affiliations because health is envisaged to be wealth and no breed of human race is immortal.
Coronavirus (Covid–19) sneaked into Nigeria at a time of national consciousness however it should not be bereft of proactive measures solely restricted to governmental dictates and health policies but should be a collective effort of the citizenry. The same zealousness utilized to lessen the spread of Ebola virus should be adopted without any trace of indolent attitude or hesitation.
Financial commitments and budgets geared towards the sourcing of medical vaccines and solutions should not be a topic of siphoning debates thus indigenous traditional health practitioners in Nigeria should be accorded a herculean task to find the cure of coronavirus which is absolutely possible. In Africa (with Nigeria not an exception) the efficacious attestation of herbalists (not witchdoctors) and traditional health doctors cannot be overemphasized in this discourse even though the role of modernity and technological health advancement is striving to choke its value. The potency of well researched herbal solutions cannot be isolated in assessing the curative effects of traditional medicine especially with the advent of many unknown dreaded virus springing in the 21st century.
Covid-19 should not be treated with kid’s gloves in Nigeria before it corners the supposed Giant of Africa which would further instigate another low rating analysis stigma in the comity of nations. In essence, it is a known statement of fact that the virus has been discovered in 49 countries of the world with Nigeria recording the first case in sub-Saharan Africa, the gaze of critics and pundits is fixed on the country. It is therefore imperative for government and the citizens to initiate an early treatment and survival plan targeted at suffocating the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria.
Furthermore, corruption should not poke nose in the country’s quest to sink coronavirus. To this end, all funds set aside and budgeted to combat the dreaded virus should be utilized accordingly. As opined in the preceding paragraph, the world is watching the activities of Nigeria and Nigerians at such a critical time and all citizens must be sensitive especially in way of conduct and personal healthcare (hygiene). It will be recalled that China built a massive hospital within a space of six days aimed at finding cure to the virus. With lenient comparability to Nigeria, this is a sharp contrast that is not anticipated however a result oriented approach can be embraced to lower the spread margin or manage the virus.
It is not a soft time for any blame game tactics however Nigeria’s lackadaisical attitudinal defects created a porous pathway for the lingering lapses threatening the overall wellbeing of the nation. It is shaming to note at this juncture, that the Italian business immigrant who tested positive arrived Nigeria without being quarantined at the airport and toured some parts of the country at ease before falling sick leading to diagnosis. Same way, Patrick Sawyer arrived Nigeria with Ebola virus. This is a lucid indication that Nigeria and relatively Nigerians do not learn from experiences and past mistakes.
The recent discovery of coronavirus in the country is a big slap on the faces of the Nigerian Medical Association, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and extensively the Nigerian government. The process of quarantining travellers (citizens and foreigners alike) should be a daily schedule in Nigeria’s airports and boarders. It should not be a fire brigade approach institutionalized in the aftermath or outbreak of any dreaded disease or virus because prevention is better than cure.
Now that corona is here (certainly not to stay) it should not be accorded ‘breathing space’ to corner Nigeria. It must be smoked out of the country tentatively through traditional health innovations. The potency of herb and knowledge of traditional health medicine have survived the test of time therefore its usage and acceptability should be able to complement inherent research aimed at combating the virus in Nigeria and extensively affected countries of the world. Will corona corner Nigeria? Events in the coming days shall proffer solutions to the opening question because Nigeria is NOT a ‘failed’ state.