It is no news that the outbreak and proliferation of Covid-19 have had some of the most acute implications on global economies in recent times; the vast majority of private and public institutions have been put on edge and are being forced to mitigate these unforeseen contingencies by adopting the swiftest and most dynamic mechanisms.

Gradually, the virus has spread to 188 countries, with it’s ramifications cutting across all demographics. According to verified data by John Hopkins University in the United States, as at July 16th 2020, more than 13.5 million cases and 584,000 deaths had been reported; Schools, businesses and airports have been closed, restrictions on movement and large gatherings have been enforced, and one too many businesses have been obligated to urgently close shop regardless of the concerted effort by governments and health care professionals to curtail the rate of infection. However, it remains largely uncertain and highly debatable as to whether the recently imposed restrictive measures will be totally terminated in a bid to ensure that economic activities can imminently reach full potential. According to the IMF, the global economy will shrink by 3% this year; in what is described as the worst decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The effects of restrictions on countries expectedly differ. The availability of universal healthcare, digital devices, access to data, digitalization of systems and processes, good and affordable broadband internet service, financial inclusion, social prosperity and other proactive measures have been consequential in countries that appear to attenuate the enormous economic impact. For instance, the central banks of several countries have successfully slashed interest rates alongside other Fiscal and monetary policies, all in an effort to encourage borrowing and spending. These measures have however proven to be some of the most feasible ways to theoretically boost their respective economies. The UK, Germany, Italy and France are some of the countries that have furloughed government-supported job retention schemes extended to the millions of people that constitute their work-forces.

However, the impacts of Covid-19 join a long list of factors that expose Africa’s perceived economic backwardness; evidently prompted by some of the earlier mentioned infrastructure either lying in poor state, being totally dormant, lagging behind on up-to-date trends or being summarily unavailable to majority of the working population. In turn, this constricts the capacity to remain productive, keep businesses running and ensure optimal revenue generation.

With more than 590,000 confirmed cases in all African countries as at July 17^th 2020, the pandemic has undoubtedly caused significant social and economic disruption. African countries have been propelled to impose various preventive and containment measures; South Africa, Rwanda, Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of Congo constitute some of the countries that announced complete lockdowns. Governments, through their machineries and the media, have urged residents to stay home and distant, all in order to limit person-to-person transmission.

Many employers across the continent have therefore transitioned to telecommuting; permitting employees to work from home or outside their traditional workspaces, and using video conferencing platforms to conduct staff and client meetings. These employers are also adopting technological solutions that enable them shift the bulk of their operations online.

With the exemption of a few essential service providers, most organizations swiftly directed members of staff in various locations to work from home. Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM), a media company with operations in eight Sub-Saharan African countries is one of those organizations. On 24^th March 2020, it signaled its readiness to adjust by announcing that it required its 400 employees to work remotely, as part of its efforts to protect them from the widespread of the virus.

Also Read: https://loladeville.com.ng/over-10000-health-workers-in-africa-infected-with-covid-19/

Organizations are also taking advantage of Africa’s booming digital space to convene virtual management and shareholder meetings, in order to maintain the standard procedures required for effective decision-making and corporate governance. United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is a Pan-African financial institution offering bank services to more than twenty million customers, across 1,000 business offices and customer touchpoints, in 20 African countries. On April 29^th 2020, UBA held its first virtual Annual General Meeting. In attendance were representatives of relevant regulatory bodies, shareholders, management and staff of the organization. Similar industry leaders like Zenith Bank and Standard Bank Group Plc have since followed suit.

Finally, businesses have adopted strategies that have allowed both staff and customers to smoothly transition from routine cash payments to online transactions. Paga, a mobile money organization with 500 employees and a presence in two African countries is one of such. On 24^th March 2020, it announced strategies to reduce cash handling, in order to slow the spread of Covid-19 and adjusted its fees in such a way that merchants can accept payment with its platform without incurring any charges.

Covid-19 has also had its enormous implications in the education sector. UNESCO says that 9.8 million African students are experiencing acute interruptions in their education, and this undoubtedly raises pressing concern.

In Nigeria, a few state governments (e.g. Ogun, Kwara and Lagos) have made provisions for continued learning via local television and radio. That is, following the indefinite closure of schools, as declared on 19^th March 2020 by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This is also the case in Ivory Coast and Botswana, with both operating similar models all aimed at bridging this threatening gap. In Ghana, the University of Ghana conducts online classes and has since negotiated free internet data with indigenous telecom companies.

In Rwanda, South Africa, and Tunisia, universities have partnered with governments and internet service providers to avail students across the various institutions free access to select educational websites. In March, Eneza education partnered with Safaricom Plc to deliver free revision material to Kenyan students for 60 days; OJAR foundation, an NGO committed to the capacity development of young innovators, and African digital education leaders, Sapphital partnered to deliver an initiative dubbed ‘E-learning4impact’ which provides free access to an impressive catalogue of specially curated courses for young African across different disciplines. Private organizations and NGOs have adopted similar strategies in Egypt, Libya, Liberia, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.

While ‘Work From Home’ (WFH) and ‘Learning Never Stops’ strategies are admirable, their plausibility raises important questions. That is, against a backdrop of twin challenges – power supply and internet access. In Africa, these are effectively crippling the digital solutions and other digitalized measures aimed at taking the edge of the effects of the virus.

While the rate of global access to electricity is 87 percent, the rate in Africa is a sultry 43 percent. Residents in African countries like Chad, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda suffer epileptic power supplies. In addition, going online presents complications in an Africa where only 24% of the population have access to internet. Related problems include poor connectivity and exorbitant costs. Getting online is expensive for majority of the populace, reports suggest that purchasing a mobile phone and 500MB worth of internet data cost an average 10 percent of monthly income.

Notably, Transsion Holdings, an Asian company, produces mobile phone brands like Techno, Infinix and Itel, specifically tailored to be hybrid option; providing top-notch features and at the same time, relatively low-cost. Africans also purchase previously owned phones flooding the markets from various parts of the world hence considerably reducing the cost of mobile phone purchase amid the barely existent credit or installment payment options. Yet, a vast majority of African telecom service providers do not offer the high-speed internet access and affordable data packages to facilitate the necessary adoption of telecommuting, easy digital transactions, etc.

In usual African fashion; thriving amid long-existing turbulence, Africa is experiencing fast growth in it’s digital space. There is visible increase in tech-enabled businesses in Africa. Notably, mobile technology in Africa is its fastest growing market. 70% of the world is already connected via mobile with Africa experiencing the fastest growth in this respect. PwC reports that between 2007 – 2016, mobile phone usage in Africa increased by 344%. Mobile broadband is accessible to two-third of the population and has hugely contributed to the continent’s socio-economic development by affording digital and financial inclusion.

Importantly, mobile phones have afforded small businesses the means to participate in e-commerce. Nigeria’s e-commerce sector is Africa’s largest, valued at $13 billion. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is a free mobile app used by millions of Nigerians. Small businesses have become smart; using WhatsApp to build strong consumer relationships, increase market share and, to boost revenue generation.

The challenges in Africa’s digital space, as unveiled by the pandemic, have been percieved to be slowing down the expected utilization of technology on the continent. However, the present awareness of these problems present endless opportunities, and should become an important launch pad for innovation in infrastructure and the digital marketplace. The workplace and the education sector, for instance, can now create new, sustainable models which are accessible, inclusive and qualitative.

The broadcaster, ‘Youtuber’ and self-proclaimed preacher, Ifedayo Olarinde, also known as Daddy Freeze, is a subject whose interests almost always invite attention. As a person though, I have resisted the temptation to join debates about his views on some charismatic preachers.

Although I always felt his stances are sometimes extreme and borne out of a fragmentary understanding of the psychology of man in relation to the God he serves, my judgement is always tempered by the conviction that life is “live and let live.”

The Creator gave every man the ability to think and decipher issues as we see them. Those who believe in God look forward to a day of reckoning when accounts would be rendered to the Supreme Being. More so for those who claim to have been called into the service of God. In their own case, in fact, the Christian holy book indicates that they will answer for themselves and every prospective believer who is misled by their teachings, action or inaction. So, arguments for and against views held by the popular broadcaster about faith and its practice in Nigeria are a waste of time, in my opinion.

However, last week’s revelation of his seemingly casual relationship with Mr Raymond Igbalode otherwise known as Hushpuppi, who was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates for alleged fraud, raises a few issues about Olarinde and the gospel he preaches.

For the avoidance of doubt, the broadcaster stands on solid ground when he insists on his right to be friends with anyone, even if they were convicted criminals. However, in Hushpuppi’s case, he had no idea that the man had any other means of livelihood aside from being an “influencer”. It is even possible to overlook the fact that not even the Mark Zuckerbergs of this world live in the affluence that social media influencing, and whatever other business the Malaysia-based Igbalode was involved in, have thrown on him. The point is, Daddy Freeze was oblivious of the alleged crooked ways of his friend. And how would anyone suspect when in the few moments they spent together post dinner, Hushpuppi got calls from Gucci, Versace and Louis Vuitton but not one single criminal. We can also conveniently overlook the fact that all these companies and the owner of the new restaurant, who grovelled to have Hushpuppi’s company as revealed in a video on Daddy Freeze’s Youtube page are capitalists who do not care whether anyone with money just killed their mother. The most important point here is the media personality had no idea in whose den he dined and wined.

Another creditable point Daddy Freeze made is that the one who “called” him, (Yeshua) would not discriminate against anyone, even if they were criminals. In other words, even if Husspuppi has just come out of jail, neither of Daddy Freeze’s calling as a newshound or preacher allows him to discriminate.

The gentleman-preacher argued this point vehemently in the video. To drive his point home, he quoted from Mark 2:15 and challenged his followers to explain the scripture with “5k up for grabs.” This passage of the Bible speaks about Jesus Christ dining in the house of Levi, a tax worker and that many other sinners sat together with Jesus and his disciples. It turned out that his followers were more interested in expressing their disappointments in their “hero,” something he did not have the grace to take kindly. And it was at this point that Daddy Freeze fell into the same error he criticises about pastors.

Let us start with the Bible passage; Jesus truly sat with these sinners. He actually literally ordered Levi to follow him. At the end of that verse, the Bible also says of these sinners: “For there were many, and they followed Him.”
Now, “follow Him” here implies that they repented of their sins and became followers of Jesus. The implication of what happened in this passage and the continuation until verse 17, is that being part Divine and Omniscient, Jesus actually knew that these ones were called to be His followers, just as He knew from the outset that Judas was called to betray Him! So, the question is, was Daddy Freeze on a soul-winning mission to Hushpuppi?

Of more concern is the revelation that the preacher shows himself susceptible to the same emotions he accuses other preachers of. Like some men of God who have turned themselves into gods of men, Daddy Freeze waxed so much in this video that he came out as utterly infallible and unaccountable to anyone. He actually said as much. After flaunting the N5,000 giveaway, he said: “…And you know, my problem with you is… Nigerians are the funniest of people. I am glad I am not accountable to you people, una dey pay my bill? Why am I accountable to you people?” But no sir, you are wrong!

You cannot claim you are only accountable to God when you have a multitude believing in your teachings. And this feeling of superiority leads to pride and so many other vices! The Apostles in the Bible submitted to one another and had respect for the needs and desires of the Church who did not have to pay their bills. The Bible which Daddy Freeze quotes actually speaks about the futility of claiming to love God (whom you cannot see) when you do not love the man you see!

That takes us to the way this man humiliated some of his followers. When one of his followers said he didn’t need his N5,000, Daddy Freeze responded: “Just look at his face, you don’t need N5,000 bro, you need N1.5k to revolutionise your life. Comot for there jo, na your type I dey find….wetin I go tell you, if you no drink sniper, na small e go remain…” Really, preacher?

Another follower cautioned him against cursing the fathers and grandfathers of his critics as he repeatedly did, Daddy Freeze quoted from Matthew 23:13 and 17 where Jesus speaks to Pharisees and scribes calling them “blind fools”. He justifies his position by saying Jesus was in his 30s here and abusing people who were in their 70s, 80s and 90s. “Were they not old enough to be his father…? I learnt from my Master…” And when one of his followers pointed out that the context of Christ’s insult was different, “he was addressing fools, I am addressing fools too,” he fired back. It is pointless recalling the unprintable things he said after.

A point of correction needs to be made here though. Jesus was talking to religious leaders who were hypocrites and cons, in this passage. His attention was on getting people into heaven, he addressed these people as fools because they knew the truth but were misleading a lot of candidates of heaven. Daddy Freeze was clearly not speaking about heaven.

Assuming without conceding that Jesus was speaking to fools however, there is a particular thing Jesus never did that Daddy Freeze exhibited in this video and his Dubai dinner with Hushpuppi. It is the derision of the poor attended by the salacious worship of the obscene display of lucre! From the people whose fathers should beg to become Hushpuppi’s drivers, to the people who earn N35,000 and all, it is disappointing that he chose not to exhibit the compassion and humility of his Master here. Just as the rain of curses on those who hold contrary views is unlike Jesus who prayed for His enemies, even at the point of death!

And concerning Hushpuppi, it is tragedy foretold. One which should worry and inspire Nigerian leaders to have a quick rethink about the direction the country is going.

Let me conclude with a quote from “We kill militants, but in vain,” article published on this column on August 4, 2016. “Although Nigeria is said to have a total of 430 higher institutions with 520,000 admission spaces, as of 2013, 1,735,729 sought admission in that year alone. The implication is that about 1.2 million youths were unable to gain admission, a situation that has not improved in any significant measure till date. Nigeria is neither able to get most aspiring young ones into higher education postings nor provide employment for hundreds of thousands of those who graduate from institutions yearly. We therefore have a crowd of agile, restless but idle and angry youths on our hands. My suggestion is that the country work towards providing more opportunities for its young ones to get educated. If children do not get formal placements, a serious country must provide alternatives for them. Serious attention also needs to be paid to providing gainful employment for the youths… What about exploiting the massive opportunities in agriculture, entertainment and sports? Nigeria must also deliberately re-orientate its youths discouraging the get-rich-quick-by-all-means mentality that has possessed the soul of our nation.”
He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind, a saying goes. Hushpuppi (if he is truly found guilty) and his ilk including the bandits, rapists and insurgents all around, are signs that Nigeria is on the edge of the precipice. And this should worry everyone!

Niran Adedokun is a Public Relations practitioner, lawyer and journalist.  He tweets @niranadedokun

The dance of the absurd taking place in the media space in recent times couldn’t have been had President Buhari not ordered for a Forensic Audit of the Books of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

The National Assembly under Senator Ahmed Lawan and Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila seems to be unconcerned about the imminent dangers of a resurgence of youth restiveness in the oil and gas rich area of the country as some Lawmakers with obvious insidious interest have continued to challenge the authority of the President on the all-inclusive probe of the Commission which has been wobbling, twenty years after its creation. The excessive freedom enjoyed by those who have been publicly accused by the supervising Committee of the NDDC has been overstretched as the leadership of the 9th Assembly has either chosen to look the other way or become complicit in the macabre dance.

Since the decision by the President to look into the way billions of Naira have been frittered away through the Commission, the discordant tunes from a few, powerful Lawmakers from the Niger Delta region has become worrisome that the reading public is now suspicious of their involvement in the pathological sleaze that has characterized the Commission while leaving the region underdeveloped and gasping for air, in a manner akin to the African-American, George Floyd who died while begging to breathe.

It is worrisome that in spite of the fact that the National Assembly is led by the ruling party, APC, yet, the synergy expected between the Executive and the Legislature is far from being in existence as it concerns the Niger Delta region, which has consistently sustained the economy since 1956, when oil was discovered in commercial quantities.

Is it not beyond surprising and an effrontery for a group of Lawmakers to challenge the decision of the President in approving an intervention for the people of the region for the purpose of the pandemic? The impudence displayed by these Lawmakers who definitely have something sinister to frustrate the efforts of the Interim Management Committee, IMC, of the Commission and the supervising Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio is a pointer that all is not well, particularly, when the supposed leader of the recalcitrant Lawmakers is from the opposition party, PDP. Could it be that the Senate President has conceded his powers to his Deputy, who recently, walked into the Headquarters of the EFCC with a letter written by the Clerk of the Senate, albeit on his instruction and requested for the probe and arrest of Buhari’s Minister, even when other Senators were kept in the dark of such an offensive? With the denial of Omo-Agege of his involvement in the scandal, will the Senate President set up a Committee to investigate him alongside the Clerk or simply sack the latter? That is up to him to stand for the truth or let his exalted office be ridiculed by his Deputy and his quest for power!

The desperation to have Akpabio removed and the Pondei-led IMC sacked is purely an effort to ensure that Buhari leaves no legacies in the Niger Delta region. The cry over the mismanagement of funds at the NDDC has been on, over time and was enunciated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, sometime in 2019 at Delta State. There was a follow up visit to the President by the Governors of the States under the NDDC which compelled the President to give Akpabio the mandate to appoint Forensic Auditors to look into the books, with an Interim Management Committee to oversee the running of the Commission while the audit lasts.

Sadly, those who seem to have been squandering the funds meant to build high grade Schools, Hospitals, Roads and Bridges amongst other infrastructures, are desperate to have Akpabio’s head on the slaughter slab, as millions of Naira have been deployed to different youth groups and a section of the media to further plant negative stories in other to discredit those saddled with this responsibility.

More worrisome is the involvement of high profile and principal officers at the National Assembly in this distracting dance, that one begins to wonder if truly they mean well for the region. What really do they intend to achieve in ensuring that Buhari does not add a stone to projects in the Niger Delta. Is there a fifth columnist working against the President but are pretending to be partners in progress with him?

The effort made by the NDDC to source for international grant of $126 million from the International Fund for  Agricultural Development, IFAD, has been aborted at the point of delivery by this same Lawmakers who wickedly slashed the budgetary provision for the counterpart funding from N1.3 billion to a paltry N100 million in the 2019 Budget of the NDDC! Funds from IFAD meant to massively engage in Agriculture in the region was wished away with the stroke of the pen. Not done with the plot to keep the region perpetually underdeveloped and totally dependent on crumbs from. Federal Allocation, these agents of darkness ensured that the budget of N10 billion for the construction of three Specialist Hospitals in the region was slashed to another paltry N100m! Yet, they prefer that billions of Naira are allocated for non-existent Training programs, Desilting of the Waterways and Medical Tourism overseas that yield nothing.

The 2020 Budget which has since been submitted in 2019 is yet to be attended to. Those who have gathered irrespective of party affiliations, to keep the region in agony at the risk of illegal activities of oil bunkering, environmental degradation and deprivation, and massive pollution of the air and water resulting in the cancerous black smooth and death of aquatic life are not done with their offensive as they question the rationale behind the payment of contractors owed by successive Boards of the Commission.

The recent probe of N40 billion by the two Houses of the National Assembly is only a disguise of their real intents. Why is this probe more important to the supposed watchdogs of the Commission rather than allow for a thorough Forensic Audit? What is the real purpose of the Adhoc Committees of the two Houses in writing the Bureau of Public Procurement to deny the Forensic Auditors access to the nine states to verify the records of the Commission? This is not only suspicious but scandalous by those who claim to be in support of the Presidential Order of the Forensic Audit!

One begins to wonder who is actually ruling the country when a few Lawmakers have effortlessly challenged the powers of the President to seek to know what has been of the monies poured into the NDDC for over 19 years.

For the second highest ranking Senator who flaunts the title of “Leader of the South South” to resort to a petition against a Minister to the EFCC, in order to frustrate the President and leader of his political party, leaves much to be desired! It is clear that the 9th Assembly is not interested in the development of the Niger Delta region.

No wonder the same Lawmakers who claim to have an oversight function on the Niger Delta have failed to query the Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund, PIDF, on the deliberate neglect of the East-West Road which is one of the five critical projects under the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA. While they are at war with the managers of NDDC, they have left the people of the region to suffer as they navigate from one state to the other through the East-West Road. In spite of a Presidential approval of N100bn in 2018 for the completion of sections 1 to 4 of the road and a release of N19.5bn by the Minister for Finance, three years ago, for the payment of legacy debts, the PIDF under Mr Uche Orji has failed to pay the Contractors, thereby delaying their return to the site and allowing the road to deteriorate.

Without a recent intervention by the NDDC to repair the failed sections of the road, the people of the region would have completely been cut off from the West.

It is clear that there is an orchestrated plot to make sure that the APC controlled Federal Government fails in the Niger Delta region. And who are those responsible for this mess? Obviously, they are not far from us as the fate of the Niger Delta region now depends on them!

Obiaruko Ndukwe is the President, Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative

In 1990, when Cameroon’s football team did the unthinkable and beat Argentina in the World Cup, the proportion of the world’s population living below the poverty line was 37.1 per cent. Fast-forward 35 years later to 2015, following a global adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this figure now stands at 9.6%.

The concept of a universal benevolent dictator – a classic assumption in beginner economic courses to escape the complexities of real-world decision-making – such a person would no doubt have said “The world is doing infinitely better!” 
But on the contrary, the world has not been doing as well as it should. The fact is, there have been warning signs all along.
The proportion of people living below the poverty line in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 was an astonishing 41%, about the same as the global rate of extreme poverty in 1981.

On October 17, 2018, the then President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, presented a report titled “Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2018: Piecing together the Poverty Puzzle.” With rigorous data but in a simple and direct way, the report clearly indicated that global conditions were not in place to bring the rate of extreme poverty below 3% by 2030.

The most alarming case in point was, where even in the most optimistic of scenarios, the poverty rate would continue to be in double digits.

The report was a pitcher of cold water in my state of mind. But it was not the first time Jim Yong Kim had jolted me. A few years earlier in 2015, in Lima, Peru, at the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, during a panel moderated by Femi Oke, the British journalist of Yoruba descent, Jim Yong Kim’s projections caught my attention. In attendance were Peruvian President Ollanta Moises Humala Tasso; Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General; Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director; and Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State for International Development. For 90-minutes, they spoke eloquently about the type of partnerships that would be needed to make Agenda 2030 a reality; the international cooperation that would be deployed; the necessary financing mechanisms and formulas; and the creativity and citizen action required.

Gathered in this august venue, the guardians of the global architecture responsible for eradicating poverty spoke convincingly and articulately about the world of tomorrow. Collectively, they concluded that by 2030, we would end up, to quote Oscar Wilde, in a country called Utopia. The Road to Lima was a party.

But barely three years later as 2018 dawned, the same global architecture presented us with a new story: The end of Utopia.

In December 2019, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its Human Development Report titled “Beyond Income, Beyond Averages, Beyond the Present: Human Development Inequalities in the 21st Century”. As with the World Bank, the conclusion was straightforward and clear: While humanity is progressing, something is just not working in our globalized society. A new generation of inequalities, beyond basic capabilities, is emerging and threatens to render people living in developing countries obsolete in the future.

Combining the alarming 2018 World Bank report with the no less alarming 2019 UNDP report, the picture is not one of optimism: not only was the aspiration to eradicate poverty by 2030 not going to be met, but a new inequality gap was opening up as well.

These challenges had previously been the focus of the World Economic Forum Regional Strategy Group (WEF RSG), of which I had had the privilege of being a member.

One of the ideas behind the WEF RSG was very simple and irrefutable: Africa must leapfrog into the Fourth Industrial Revolution or risk being left behind inexorably.

Also Read: Opinion: Africa: COVID-19 response must target African agriculture and the rural poor | By: Olusegun Obasanjo and Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe

In 2019 as well as in previous years, several countries, including Equatorial Guinea, my country, made important policy decisions to define and prioritize national development aspirations in alignment with the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Additionally, to take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution we scaled up our investments in ICT and technology and in developing the capacity of our youth. And then, COVID19 arrived!

In just a few short months the world has changed. When we return to ‘normal,’ it will be a ‘new normality’ and a brave new world.

COVID19 is an existential crisis. It is severely testing Africa’s social, economic and political resilience. In a post-COVID19 world, the continent’s leaders will therefore have to rethink many prior assumptions and find new balances for individual and collective behavior.

What I am absolutely certain of is that opportunities will emerge. Innovative minds previously imprisoned by institutional inertia and interest groups will rise to the challenges that we collectively face.

What will the brave new world post-COVID19 look like in Africa? The African Development Bank estimates that Africa will lose between 35 and 100 billion dollars due to the fall in raw material prices caused by the pandemic. The World Economic Forum estimates that global losses for the continent will be in the order of $275 billion.

There is a real risk therefore that Africa’s inequality gap will worsen in the coming years.

Ever since the virus crossed the continent’s borders, regular bilateral and multilateral consultations among African finance ministers have philosophically revolved around the need to rethink our multifaceted responses to COVID19 and other future threats that have equal or greater potential for disruption.

Also Read: Opinion: COVID-19: Despite Nigeria’s Weak Healthcare Sector, Pvp-I May Help Prevent Disease Spread. | By: Oyindamola Adejumo-Ayibiowu

Today, African States are developing strategic and in-depth approaches to human development, regional integration, digitalization, industrialization, economic diversification, fiscal and monetary policies, and international solidarity. In short, they are rethinking the causes of the continent’s underdevelopment and coming up with feasible solutions. The outcomes will undoubtedly be good for Africa and for all humanity.

To better understand the scenarios before us, there are three sparks that could light a flame in the brave new world that is before us:

1. In 2001, African leaders pledged to invest around 15% of their budgets in health. By 2020, only five countries have fulfilled this promise. No one doubts today that the health sector in Africa will be strengthened by the COVID19. There are decisions that can no longer be postponed. In mid-March, a Togolese activist, Farida Nabourema, mocked African elites who used to go to Europe to have their ailments treated, saying: I would like to ask our African presidents who travel to Italy, Germany, France, the UK and other European countries for medical treatment, please when are you leaving? On April 2, Bloomberg published an article entitled: Trapped by Coronavirus, Nigeria’s Elite faces squalid hospital, signed by journalist Dulue Mbachu. Things are going to change.
2. The vast majority of African countries, after COVID19, will have to put in place social protection systems to mitigate the suffering of the continent’s most disadvantaged. Kenya and Equatorial Guinea offer excellent  examples of countries that have regulated and put in place social protection systems that will survive and outlast our battle against this common enemy.
3. The continent’s poor pharmaceutical capacity has been a source of amazement to locals and foreigners alike. Bangladesh, a poorer country than many African countries, produces 97% of the national demand for medicines, in contrast to  Africa which is almost 100% dependent on imports.

This last note has triggered another debate: the necessary industrialization of Africa, to transform and add value to the continent’s vast and valuable raw materials.

Many African countries have already been deprived access to COVID19 essentials. Excessive global demand  has relegated Africa to the

But there is much reason for optimism. African leaders recently lauded artemisia annua tonic that Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar, presented to the world as Africa’s solution to COVID19 .

Our enthusiasm as Africans, is rooted in wounded self-esteem. For way too long, we have been victims of marginalization. The power to regain our dignity has too often been stripped away. Today, nestled in the souls of all Africans is an unshakable faith that the most important resource that Africa needs in order to rise up, is none other than Africans themselves.

No one will help us if we do not help ourselves. Africa is no longer asking to be taught how to fish. Africa is already rowing towards the utopia enunciated in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.

In spite of dire predictions and narratives, humanity always has a way of ending up in that country called utopia. Africa is humanity.

Cesar A. Mba ABOGO is the Minister of Finance, Economy and Planning of Equatorial Guinea and Member of the Regional Action Group for Africa of the World Economic Forum.

It is not for nothing that it is said that two heads are better than one. Then Prof. Kimse Okoko modified it to ‘two good heads.’

I believe that Gov. Nyesom Wike should involve his entire cabinet members  in managing Covid-19 in Rivers State. If he does that, I believe every Commissioner would be able to come up with their sub plans which will form a consolidated plan for the State Committee on Covid-19 to execute. Why am I saying this?

The Commissioner for Health, for example, should be able to have the presence of mind to make input as to how he expects sick residents to reach out and be attended to during the present total lockdown. He will make suggestions as to what those in distress, pharmacies, hospitals and other outlets should do and how during the lockdown. We cannot afford to let people die to save lives, like in digging a hole to fill another hole.

The Commissioner for Communication & Information will aggregate and outline his plans on how to proactively communicate every aspect of government actions in fighting Covid-19 to the people and in the process collate feedback which will further assist government in further tinkering up its plans and actions.

The Commissioner for Water Resources is likely to table his plan to intervene and temporarily provide water for the majority of Port Harcourt residents who do not have their own source of water supply apart from patronising water hawkers and kind-hearted neighbours. Or even state clearly that nothing can be done so that government will be aware that the people are on their own when it comes to water supply during a total lockdown.

The sanitation authority should be able to issue advisory to the public on how to deal with refuse generated during total lockdown, etc.

It does not give anyone joy to keep pointing at Lagos neither is it that they are perfect over there. But man naturally recalls what works. Long before the lockdown in Lagos was put into effect, selected neighbourhood fields were identified and plans made to sell food and medicine to residents. It may not be perfect but something was done.

In all, relevant ministries, departments and agencies will make helpful input towards giving government fight against Covid-19 a human face by lessening the burden of the fight on the common man.

Lockdown is an effective way to break the chain of Covid-19 spread but must be applied in a sensible way in different locales. There is no home in London, New York or Madrid that potable water is not reticulated into. Except you did not pay, there will always be water. Such is not the case in parts of our cities here where everyone owns his/her own water source. Then there are many areas where we have what is commonly referred to as ‘yards’ where many residents’ source of water is either from aboki water hawkers or good hearted neighbours. How much water can anyone store in such situations?

The governor of Rivers State should assemble his entire team and ask for input from each and every one of them to enable him fashion out a more organised war against Covid-19 in the State without losing sight of what is working elsewhere. With a novel virus like Coronavirus, no man knows it all and none can reinvent the wheel. He has the men no doubt. His Committee can then go ahead and implement. Meeting with State Security Council alone is not enough. That is what we are saying!

I believe that the next ideal steps that should be taken by government to checkmate Covid-19 pandemic in Rivers State can be compartmentalised into two areas. One should aim at blocking entry into the State by carriers of the virus and the second should be to contain community spread that has already started manifesting.

For the purpose of denying access into the State by infected persons, instead of locking down Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas, government should effectively lock down the borders between other states and the five gateway local government areas of Ikwerre, Emohua, Oyigbo, Etche and Tai. Everything should be done to block entry into the State through those border LGAs. However, in order to allow for agricultural produce and other essential items to be brought into the State, government should establish terminals or outposts at Emohua, Imo River Bridge area, Etche end (off Eleme Junction) and at Tai end of the East/West Road to screen and ensure that only agricultural produce and other essential items are brought into Rivers State.

On dealing with the ongoing community spread within Rivers State, it would be advisable to take another look at what Dr. William Schaffner, the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Advisor said a while ago concerning Covid-19. He said, “Don’t open up too fast, too quick and too soon. Covid-19 isn’t going away soon. The mask is the new normal.”

Phased Re-opening

Taking a cue from that, it will be necessary for government to evaluate all sectors of human activities in the state such as education, economy, transportation, entertainment, hospitality, agriculture, etc. and work out a safe and structured template for opening them up without jeopardising the effort to stem the pandemic. Schools should reopen in phases; eateries and bars should continue with take away or home delivery services for now; farmers may have to immediately embark on planting (if they have not) in a carefully planned way since theirs is seasonal, and so forth.

For public transportation, overloading of vehicles should continue to be discouraged but because of our peoples’ attitude, social or physical distancing is not going to work. Therefore, strict wearing of face mask and perhaps gloves should be enforced for all commuters.

Certain health facilities should be equipped to serve as first port of call for sick people so that they can be SAFELY diagnosed before going to the hospital or clinic of their choice. On the other hand, all clinics and hospitals should be made to establish safe diagnostic points. This will help stop our clinics and hospitals from becoming Covid-19 ‘hotspots.’

All the established protocol of hand washing, social distancing and avoiding crowded spaces should be strictly maintained and enforced.

Face Mask

It appears that with the arrival of vaccines not yet in sight, the face mask will become part of our lives for some time in everything we do especially in public. It helps to protect us from others and helps protect others from us. Government should facilitate the availability of the face mask to all and sundry. This should be distributed and sold evenly across the state and at a token price at least to confer some value to it. People tend to abuse free things. When schools reopen, wearing of face mask should be compulsory until such a time when we become 100 percent covid-19 free.

Testing

Like it has been said severally, testing is key. However, while I agree I still see a dicey dimension to testing. It is obvious that someone who tested negative now may still pick up the virus the next minute or hour or days depending on his/her exposure to it. More so, someone who tested negative may drop his/her guard and end up picking up the virus because both the carriers (especially the asymptomatic ones) still mix freely and innocently. This is why I see strict wearing of mask in public and adhering to specified hygiene protocols very important. Testing helps in its own way, do not get me wrong, but the figures will always change because of new infections. Testing does not do much to stop new infection because everyone still function in the same milieu or space. There is no way to identify an asymptomatic carrier as to avoid the person. All the same, government should also make testing available at border posts to protect residents of the State.

Isolation/Treatment Centres

In the developed world, most tested and confirmed carriers of the virus still recuperate at home. Only those with severe or breathing difficulties that are admitted into treatment centres. They isolate in a part of their residence until they get better. However, with the dearth of spacious and comfortable accommodation in our parts, very few can self-isolate safely at home. Therefore, more isolation centres should be provided to cater for the growing number of those that either test positive and unable to safely self-isolate at their homes or those whose symptoms have become severe requiring ventilators and close monitoring and treatment.

Vaccination & Treatment

The State Ministry of Health should constantly monitor what is happening nationally and internationally as to ascertain when help in form of vaccine and medication are available so that the State can procure.

Education & Communication

The government should adopt a multilingual and multiplatform approach to regularly and intensively educate residents on the dangers of Covid-19 and how to stay safe from the virus. Government should also be proactive in communicating its actions and plans to the people from time to time.

State Government Relations

The Rivers State Government should do all that it can to downplay any confrontation, power show or grandstanding with the federal authorities but cooperate very often to get issues sorted out for the benefit of all. The government should understand and appreciate the diligence of the IOCs in dealing with issues of Health & Safety. They are the last group that will treat the issue of Covid-19 with levity as to endanger the lives of their own workers and that of others. Government must resist the lure to drag them into the fray for any reasons. Since most of the IOCs turned their back on Warri, things have not been the same with the economy of that, hitherto, bubbling city.

Outlawing Of Street Begging

The government should use the opportunity of the lockdown to formally ban street begging in the State. This is necessary to forestall a return of street begging especially in Port Harcourt metropolis as government reopens business. This will send a strong message to beggars and intending ones who might want to travel from their states to ply their thing in the State. Overwhelming number, if not all street beggars in the State, are from outside of Rivers State. Given that the pandemic is now expected to be with us for sometimes means that all possible carriers of the virus must be denied space to transmit it to others.

Fumigation of Markets, Other Public Places

Elsewhere that lockdowns are being implemented, one of the most important steps taken by government is to massively disinfect public places, streets and transportation hubs that experience huge human traffic. Despite the partial and now total lockdown in PHALGA and Obio/Akpor, the Rivers State Government is yet to disinfect or fumigate a single market, street or facility. This has left many people wondering what real purpose the lockdown is supposed to serve. Moving forward, government should regularly declare lockdowns for two Saturdays in a month for the purpose of regularly fumigating public places especially markets and public buildings such as the government Secretariat Complex.

The Government should aim to diligently deal with all issues relating to Covid-19 in the same just and fair manner that its Committee on Palliatives appears to be handling the distribution of food items across the State even if the feeling is that the Committee should have exercised more inclusiveness by extending palliatives to indigent non-indigenes in PHALGA and Obio/Akpor.

Whether it is partial or full lockdown, at all times, attention must be focussed on providing the people access to FOOD, WATER & MEDICINE as the State Government and the people battle with Covid-19 pandemic. From all available and emerging fundamentals by experts at the global level, the war against Covid-19 may not be a dash, it is very likely to be a marathon.