COVID-19, Rice palliative palaver!  

COVID-19 spreads relentlessly and records deaths approaching 220,000, infections 3,100,000, with around 1,200 recognised cases in Nigeria with Kano the new epicentre with its inability to self-distance and its massive unemployed close-living population with no interest in wearing face masks. Costs are unquantifiable but in excess of $15trillion.

Nigeria struggles under righteous demands for further cuts in petrol and also diesel prices amidst the lower prices, even nearly negative worldwide, Covid-19 induced transport paralysis and the Russian-Saudi Arabian, oil price war.

Nigerians are questioning unpleasant stories and the nation awaits explanation for the apparent differences in the anti-hunger and anti-violence palliative funds distributed to different states. EFCC, ICPC be proactive; Nigeria cannot afford another international disgrace and enquiry regarding corruption in the billions pouring in for the Covid-19 war! People hear the money but not a recognizable equivalent in palliatives and their tummies are increasingly rumbling in hunger under lockdown. The matter is not helped by the finger pointing, accusations and denials surrounding some palliative rice delivered to many states with some complaints of poor quality of the product in Oyo and some other states.

I do not want to believe that anyone high up in the federal government, the Customs or the states affected would be so criminally-minded against innocent Nigerians but a full independent examination must urgently confirm the truth and identify. Guilty parties may be guilty by omission of due diligence following unsatisfactory poor prolonged storage and zero agricultural microbiological supervised quality control before quality assurance prior to release and on arrival. Suggesting that such a large volume of rice could have been criminally switched between the warehouse, wherever that is, and the destination without full connivance of customs and police and federal officers is unimaginable. Where would a state get such a quantity of rice- the exclusive preserve of exclusive-listed federal customs service?

Nigeria is looking around for even more loans from the UN, WHO, European Union, World Bank, International Monetary Fund claiming its entitlement from chunks of money made available to Africa but it should look inward both the fight the Covid-19 and the replenish the foreign reserves. The president should undertake to phone friends and a few enemies. He should remind them of how much individually they have benefitted from Nigeria with facts and figures given to him by Interpol, Transparency International, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Angela Merkel, and as many foreign leaders as possible. He could ask for a generous contribution in naira or any foreign currency to the foreign reserves to bring them up to $50b. Covid-19 should have taught many people the valueless-ness of their wealth in the face of such a serious attack.

Now is the best time for wealthy Nigerians to back the economy by strengthening the backbone of the CBN with a boost to the foreign reserves. It is worth noting that Nigeria repeatedly lost the opportunity to build up its foreign reserves under every single government as it was plagued by a spend-spend-spend political class led by a band of governors, mostly now senators, demanding the undeserved title of ‘Distinguished’, who now shed crocodile tears at the pervading super-Corruption, Incompetence, Negligence and Selfishness -CINS- along with what now appear to be criminally and prosecutable high overheads of governance and legislative greed, compounded by a peculiarly Nigerian politicians’ penchant for perpetual salaries for life, after just four or eight years work, and/or commensurate super-pension scams/schemes even as they transited to other lucrative government offices on full-full salaries and Perks further SAPing the country dry and millions without pensions.

With Covid-19, we announce the death of gossip: Billions of subjects of gossip and natural gossipers have disappeared in the lockdowns worldwide, so the whispered wicked word and sniggering are no more. No one has done anything to gossip about unless they are foolish enough to put it on social media and then it is often quickly dismissed as ‘fake news’. Suddenly the enemies in the office, always good for gossip, and those lounging threateningly on the street corner, in the park, and in the shadows in the dark have receded, physically and psychologically and are no longer a threat. One fear is gone but replaced by another -Coronarvirus. Gossip, the focus, cause and content of so much conversation, time, effort, emotion and all those face contortions is dead for now at least. That is a good thing. People’s minds are purer as a result.

With Covid19, the bully is also at last dealt with, a suspended terrorist species! Unless one is living with you, or in a face me I face you, the bully is at last forced to keep a safe distance and is forced to suspend hostilities. The bully, be the person a he or she, in your school, office or on your journey is kept at bay. Hopefully the bullies themselves will realise the beauty of life without bullying and will learn that they too can survive without bullying.

Will the death of gossip and bullying translate into a better life after Covid-19? Perhaps not. Recurrence is a serious possibility. But we are enjoying the periods of ‘silent conversation’ and the enhanced wellbeing and personal security caused by the suspension of gossip and loss of bullying opportunities worldwide. We must still fight on-line gossip and bullying but we can always switch off the computer.