Thread by @Bazazzaga

#COVID19InNigeria; TIME FOR SOBER REFLECTION
A crises is most times an eye opener to certain gaps that many of us see & talk about but get attacked & shut up. COVID19 has exposed our failings & inadequacies as a nation which I hope we will address WHEN & IF this is over

Our first failure as a nation is the allocation of meagre resources to Education & Health which has worsened over the years and is on the verge of collapse while foreign countries remain the major education & healthcare centres for the political class, elites & their families.

It is laughable that most state governments are now scrambling to open 10 beds or so isolation units. Why don't we have well equipped health crises units considering the population of the country & other contagious disease that are seasonal such as measles & cholera?

The answer is simple this diseases are poverty prone ii.e they spread more among societies lower class. The novel corona virus Justice Ebola doesn't segregate between the rich & poor which is the reason behind the proactive measures being put in place.

Our Education sector is also crashing. The facilities are dilapidated, teachers are poorly paid & the curriculum at all levels is outdated and devoid of the capacity to drive real critical thinking or innovation which are the bane of national development in the 21st century.

The result of a failed educational system is a large number of certificate holding gullible people willing to utilise conspiracy theories as a basis for action while discarding the theories they spent sleepless nights cramming not understanding for the sole purpose of exams

I argue that the education of most people in this country only gave certificates through a 'back to sender' process of learning. How else do you explain people salt baths to prevent Ebola or the recent hoarding & consumption of Chloroquine by the 'titty totty I'm educated' class?

These same set people are the faithful congregation in churches & mosques ready to swallow everything they are given line & sinker even when it defies common sense which now brings us to our second major failing as a nation. Nigeria has failed to regulate religious communication

Freedom to hold beliefs & impart ideas is a universal human right & also a right under the Nigerian constitution. I however feel that sermons now carry out functions of the mass media which is also the avenue for contemporary religious message delivery & should also be regulated.

No belief system or organisation is bigger than Nigeria. The nation or state should therefore not pass directives while a religious cleric or organisation remains adamant to congregate. This is treasonable resistance to endanger the lives of many people.

When in concerns life & death opinion leaders have to be careful of their interpretation and utterances. For those who fail to care, itvis the responsibility of the nation to check them. Nigeria has given an open play field to religion & is a factor in the rise of extremism.

We have been privy to a number of disappointing & misleading clips from both churches & mosques on political, economic, social & of recent health issues with the aim to divide the unity of the society or defy constituted authority.

With all due respect to who I might offend this is repeatedly getting out of line & my grestest concern is the massive number of faithful adherents to these messages.
I came across a small press conference on Facebook that Sheik Jingir held to pass on his absurd ideas again.

We may dismiss & laugh over this messages but if all the conspiracy theories flying around the society & Whatsapp groups is to be used as measurement then this is deep. Public enlightenment is massively going on with little or no impact due on counter communication everywhere.

Even if this virus was reportedly human developed as a tool of economic warfare or propaganda is used to push its impact shouldn't all countries take measures to protect themselves against a disease yet to be understood? The nation needs to immediately involve CAN/SCIA

The third failure of Nigeria is the inability to fund research. I saw institutions developing sanitizers. Why do we need crises for our innovative genes to get active. The nation needs to actively encourage & fund research sectors.

In as much as courses such as medicine & ICT is important. There are other silently vacant profession in this country. Almost a 100% of all medical equipment are purchased from foreign countries & minor hitches render many of them obsolete due to lack of maintenance personal.

Government at all levels should encourage the establishment & study of courses such as Medical Engineering & clinical Pharmacy. #Covid19 is teaching us that the world is fast becoming an 'every country for itself' universe.

The Mass Media also need to embark a selfless & aggressive sensitization campaign whichbis a social responsibility of the Mass media, you & I to counter all that wrong information in the most vulnerable parts of the society.

Nigeria needs to be willing to hold conversations it avoids, willing to identify & accept the problems, willing to find solutions to the problems & most of all be willing to accept that the society needs a total overhaul & re assignment of the important sectors of its society.

We pray that God will in his mercy continue to give us the strength & wisdom to continue fighting, making right decisions, implementing positive action & overcoming our challenges.
God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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