Gentlemen I bring love and felicitations to you all from Port Harcourt, the Garden City. In these trying and tempting times, I pray that Almighty Jehovah, the Most Merciful will see us through this harrowing experience.
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If you have noticed recently, most European countries and the United States have embarked on a special rescue mission to airlift their citizens out of Nigeria due to the steady rise in the cases of the corona virus in Nigeria.
Have we sat down to wonder why countries such as Spain, Italy, Great Britain, France, the US and others that have astronomical cases of COVID-19 infections and deaths should decide to embark on this desperate missions to airlift and rescue their citizens from Nigeria when the COVID-19 situation in Nigeria is not as bad as in their countries.
Any discerning mind will not hesitate to conclude that the Europeans and the Americans see what we are not seeing. They are seeing a disaster about to happen and they don’t want their citizens to be caught in the web of the catastrophe that they perceive is about to befall Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and the most populated black country in the world.
We have to ask ourselves what is the basis of this perception and morbid fear? The answers are not farfetched. The answer lies in our self examination as a people and as a country. What is the state of our health care system such as hospitals, clinics, health centres, cottage hospitals, what is the state of mind of our medical personnel, are they happy with their job schedules, job environment, take home pay, available medical equipments and general working conditions. Do they have the right psychology to deal with the present situation and that which may come?What is the state of our basic infrastructure such as roads, railways and general transportation system. Do we have the required medical ambulances, both air, sea and land to deal with this emergency. What about our security architecture, is it designed to deal with this situation. Are our security personnel properly schooled to deal with this, do they know that their major and primary responsibility at this time is to encourage, protect, guide the people and educate the populace about what to do in the event of an emergency evacuation. Are they still with the combative mind set channeled to dehumanize, maim and kill the people who are already psychologically traumatized with the situation on ground. What happened in Ubuwangue, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria on 2nd April, 2020 where a thirty five year old man was brutally and cold bloodedly murdered by an army personnel in the effort to enforce a Covid-19 imposed curfew exposes and justifies the fear and agitations of the European and US escapees and their respective governments. Are the Military, Police and other security personnel properly briefed on how their response will be in the event of a panic situation arising from the present circumstances?
What is the state of our food security, do we have enough stock pile of food, basic necessities to last as long as the pandemic will last. Are the people ready and prepared materially, spiritually and psychologically. Have the government rallied our sociologist, psychologist and other social scientist and gotten them prepared on how to deal with an expected peoples agitations, fear and apprehension.
What about our government at the Federal, State and Local levels. Are they doing what is right and expected in the present situation or they are just playing to the gallery to hoodwink the people, pillage the treasury and/or to acquire undeserved accolades? How proactive are they, have they rallied the people and prepared them for the coming days. Have they activated the right information dissemination systems or is there the spirit of babel in the system as it happened in some States recently. Have we set up enough testing centres in all our local government areas and councils equipped for prompt, accurate and verifiable outcomes. Some of our state governments are busy setting up isolation centres without any facility or provisions made for testing. I suggest that both should run or be set up concurrently or else it will be a case of putting the cart before the horse. What the government should be interested in now should be testing and continuous testings. Its better we nip the virus in the bud by early testing than to allow it to blossom and then we isolate.
I commend the various governors of the various states especially the states of the southeast and southsouth for the steps and actions they have taken so far in curbing the spread of the virus in their states. However, more needs to be done and urgently too. We must ensure a lockdown of our various states, towns and communities, we must make provision for food and basic necessities and ensure enough stock pile that will last at least a month for the people, we must ensure that basic amenities such as water, electricity, gas, fuel, diesel and other basic energy needs are readily available and affordable. Those in government should be ready to take advice and absorb criticisms on how they handle this crises. I expect them to accept both compliments and criticism for it takes both sun and rain for a flower to grow and flourish. God forbid we make the mistakes of the Europeans who saw the corona virus pandemic as a problem of the Chinese and refuse to take the necessary precautions and now the story is grim. Let us learn from their mistakes and learn fast and accurately. too.
Its been fourteen days since the members of Eastern Bar Forum returned from Owerri after the last Quarterly General Meeting of the Forum. Though genuine fears were expressed about the timing and holding of the meeting, such fears enabled the Forum to take all necessary precautions to put all anti COVID- 19 implements in place to prevent and avert any infection. I am glad to say that we succeeded in that regard as we have not received any report of any ailment from any of our member and guest who attended the said meeting. We give glory to Almighty Jehovah the Most Merciful.
As we stay safe with our families in this unpredictable times, I wish you all peace, God’s guidance and protection. We may not have everything that we love, but I know we love everything that we have.
God bless you all.
S. Long Williams Esq.
Governor, EBF
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