{"id":14020,"date":"2020-05-20T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T09:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=14020"},"modified":"2020-05-20T09:47:38","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T09:47:38","slug":"2023-in-the-eye-of-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=14020","title":{"rendered":"2023 in the eye of COVID"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"This<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Experts have predicted that\u00a0COVID-19 may\u00a0remain a crisis much longer than\u00a02022, with\u00a0\u201cup to 70% of world\u2019s population\u201d\u00a0becoming\u00a0infected.\u00a0Amid this\u00a0mess,\u00a0elections are\u00a0billed to hold in\u00a0Nigeria in\u00a02023, in line with constitutional provisions.\u00a0If,\u00a0in the\u00a0worst-case\u00a0scenario, COVID- 19 subsists beyond 2022, what\u00a0then\u00a0does\u00a0the future hold for dear country?\u00a0The more reason\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s politicians, as at today, should worry about how to ensure that we have a country still populated with human beings. Impliedly, it is better to find a solution to\u00a0COVID-19, which has no specifics and has not been seen to be selective in killing people,\u00a0in the interest of everybody. The politician can only be relevant in the scheme of things when there are people who will vote. If coronavirus has decimated the population, where are the people that are going to vote? If those who are contesting feel that they are secure, what about those who will vote for them?\u00a0
\u00a0
About 4 or 5 months ago, nobody ever thought in Nigeria at least, that we would enter into a health-crisis situation of this magnitude; a pandemic that has\u00a0so far\u00a0defied all known medical appeasements\u00a0and\u00a0specific regime of medication.\u00a0Thus,\u00a0a situation could arise that the Constitution may have to be suspended. And heavens will not fall! After all, all the campaigns, programmes and related stuffs in the United States of America,\u00a0where elections are scheduled to hold in November,\u00a0have had to be put on hold, courtesy of the dreaded COVID-19. Even, FIFA U-17 World\u00a0Cup\u00a0that was originally slated for\u00a02020\u00a0has now been postponed to 2021. And heavens have not fallen!\u00a0\u2018Ta lo nje ode aperin n\u2019iwaju ode apaniyan?\u00a0(Who is a mere elephant hunter compared to human assassins?)
\u00a0
People have stored money, even, ammunition\u00a0to wage the impending electoral war of 2023. But people must first survive. The way we are going, if the pandemic should really\u00a0balloon\u00a0in a way that it will be difficult to contain it, then, nobody will be talking about elections at all,\u00a0be they\u00a0general or, presidential. It is as simple as that!\u00a0Hence,\u00a0all governors and the president must take up their responsibilities and work out a solution, for this is why they are elected. It is not enough to see them as trying. Nigerians are\u00a0no longer interested in\u00a0that old, worn-out\u00a0refrain! No, not anymore!\u00a0If we truly want Nigeria to develop, there is\u00a0an urgent\u00a0need for a new vision, and a
new orientation. Otherwise, Nigeria will herald herself into perdition, and without remedy.
\u00a0
It is good to project into the future but it is difficult to project in the face of the humiliating torment that COVID-19 has presented.\u00a0Of course, it is palpably humiliating if a country as hugely populated and as resource-rich as Nigeria is faced with a pandemic but her trained medical personnel appears prostrate before it.\u00a0Aren\u2019t we in trouble as a country if we must run to Madagascar to purchase herbs when, after reviewing the\u00a0\u2018COVID-organics\u2019, the ingredients are right here with us?\u00a0If we don\u2019t invest in medical science education,\u00a0why won\u2019t China send doctors to Nigeria to help us take care of our self-induced problems? For God\u2019s sake, where are
our doctors \u2013 competent and qualified ones?\u00a0
\u00a0
Well, maybe this is the time to have a political holiday because of the survival of the country. After all, it is in the stability of the country that political activities can thrive. This, again, means that our politicians should go back to their constituencies, identify with their people and work out a solution. If, in the course of doing that, they become infected, well, they chose to be leaders! And that\u2019s what leadership is all about! A situation whereby our political leaders flock to Abuja as if that\u2019s the only place where their constituencies\u2019 destinies could be recovered should no longer be tenable.
\u00a0
From what we have also seen,\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s economy may not pick until 2023, if we continue with the way we are going. And, if it doesn\u2019t, it may become problematic, especially, for the ruling party,\u00a0to secure the confidence of the electorate, irrespective of who, or which political party is responsible for the woes of the country.\u00a0Yes,\u00a0Nigeria\u00a0has been\u00a0named among 10 countries that will experience global famines of\u00a0\u201cbiblical proportions\u201d, courtesy of the economic pains arising from COVID-19! But this should\u00a0compel\u00a0our institutions to show singular tenacity and singular judgment\u00a0in\u00a0recalibrating extant policies and programmes in national interest. We should not get out of the health pandemic and dive straight into economic crises. Getting to that strait path
without preparation and the wherewithal is a sure recipe for social chaos because, even things that were hitherto, seemingly, innocuous and not dangerous will become manifestly dangerous, more so,\u00a0as people will now begin to read meanings to them.
\u00a0
Again, this is where the roles of religious bodies come into play!\u00a0This is not the time to take things for granted but a time to seek God\u2019s face for mercy. When\u00a0Ebola\u00a0came ravaging, not until it was pronounced gone, dead and buried that Nigerians could only heave a sigh of relief. As for COVID-19, it will not be out of place to say that certain forces which do not want it defeated are already at work, playing the game for which\u00a0they are renowned. It is therefore time President Muhammadu Buhari and his lieutenants remembered the roles of posterity in the affairs of men. It\u2019s time the president thought beyond his remaining years in office. Indeed, this is the time to think about the kind of legacy he will want to leave behind. Nobody prayed that coronavirus would come to our shores. But, now, that it has come, Buhari should rise up to the occasion and see to it that\u00a0coronavirus\u00a0is defeated. There have been talks among Nigerians, suggesting that some people under him are the ones directing the affairs of\u00a0the country. This is an opportune time for him to prove to the world that he is firmly in control and that Nigerians did not make
any mistake in making him their president. The fact that a cure or vaccine to the pandemic has not been found elsewhere does not mean that Nigeria cannot blaze the trail. It is all about leadership and determination!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experts have predicted that\u00a0COVID-19 may\u00a0remain a crisis much longer than\u00a02022, with\u00a0\u201cup to 70% of world\u2019s population\u201d\u00a0becoming\u00a0infected.\u00a0Amid this\u00a0mess,\u00a0elections are\u00a0billed to hold in\u00a0Nigeria in\u00a02023, in line with constitutional provisions.\u00a0If,\u00a0in the\u00a0worst-case\u00a0scenario, COVID- 19 subsists beyond 2022, what\u00a0then\u00a0does\u00a0the future hold for dear country?\u00a0The more reason\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s politicians, as at today, should worry about how to ensure that we have a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[27,6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n2023 in the eye of COVID » WatchDog Plus Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=14020\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odofin\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=14020#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"COVID-19\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=27\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"2023 in the eye of COVID\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"2023 in the eye of COVID » WatchDog Plus Media","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=14020","author":"Odofin","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?p=14020#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"COVID-19","item":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=27"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"2023 in the eye of COVID"}]}]}},"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Odofin","author_link":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?author=2"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=27\" rel=\"category\">COVID-19<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/?cat=6\" rel=\"category\">Health<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Experts have predicted that\u00a0COVID-19 may\u00a0remain a crisis much longer than\u00a02022, with\u00a0\u201cup to 70% of world\u2019s population\u201d\u00a0becoming\u00a0infected.\u00a0Amid this\u00a0mess,\u00a0elections are\u00a0billed to hold in\u00a0Nigeria in\u00a02023, in line with constitutional provisions.\u00a0If,\u00a0in the\u00a0worst-case\u00a0scenario, COVID- 19 subsists beyond 2022, what\u00a0then\u00a0does\u00a0the future hold for dear country?\u00a0The more reason\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s politicians, as at today, should worry about how to ensure that we have a…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14020"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14020"}],"version-history":[{"count":-2,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14020\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watchdogplusmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}