COVID-19; An eye opener

Covid-19,
An eye-opener to get proper citizens data.

Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, the entire globe hasn't been the same, starting from the city of Wuhan, nobody would have thought it will spread so rapidly within a short while, we fail to acknowledge earlier that the world has become a global village and people transverse within hours, trips are completed within the twinkle of an eyes and that has really aided the 'global reach' of the virus.

While Scientists and researchers are working round the clock in several centres to get vaccine to curb the virus, it is spreading like wildfire and it's raging massively in Europe, in which they are now battling to contain it as a bloc with several deaths and multiple cases in the Schengen area.

Back home in Africa,
We are have a handful of cases, but the numbers are still very low, while hoping we are able to keep it low until that 'Eureka' news of a vaccine is announced, here in Nigeria, the 8th case was announced yesterday, and events after the announcement of fresh 5 cases led to several restrictions of activities, and this really calls for concern and a time to wake up, challenge our Government/Leadership to use this to do the needful on proper citizens data capture.

Most Countries are 'shutting down' and announcing stay in-door policies, some of those policies should challenge us as a Country and let us ask questions!!!

Can we do a shutdown as a Nation?

Will poverty rate allow the most vulnerable in our society adhere to it?

Won't the shutdown be boring?

We still have 3,200MW for over 200million Nigerians, power supply without getting to get petrol to fuel our generators will be unthinkable!!!

Our Internet Connectivity rate is undoubtedly the most expensive in the world, many of us 'monthly' subscription twice in a week 😆, even with poor services and massive rip off

And so, several other questions comes to mind,

UK Government earlier announced a package for its citizens just to ease their basics during the sit-at-home period,

Donald Trump is sending a $1,000 to all American to support them during the shutdown,

French Government has suspended Payment of taxes, rents, social charges, electricity and gas, Canadian Government is doing something similar to the French, and the list of interventions by those Government seems endless across the globe, if you walk recklessly without going to get basics/essentials anywhere in France today and you're caught, you pay €35 as fine.
Beyond the support for its teeming citizens by Government across the globe, it should be an eye-opener for us to think outside the box.

Back home,
If shutdown is required, how can Government do intervention that will reach the very vulnerable and downtrodden that such shutdown will cripple their activities?

It calls for holistic review of database we have for Citizens, in 2020, we still have Nigerians who get PVC only as means of identification, perhaps some believe it will be needed when their wards enroll in schools, NIMC has to suspend the use of National Identity Number for 2020 UTME when they couldn't enrol many candidates as at the deadline of submission, yet this has been ongoing for several years, many including yours truly have registered for several years and yet to get their cards, the queues in such centre are out of the world, We need to sychronise these cumbersome different data for different database and consolidate them into one broad citizens that can even help relevant agencies track criminal elements amongst us and would have decimated groups like Boko Haram etc,
Governance is a continuum, away from 'blame games' of our current handlers, it's time to look inward on getting our Citizens centralised database done, if this is the only positive thing Convid-19 would ensure Nigeria does, it's more than enough achievement and thing of excitement for the common man on the street,

If Government can do, single payment systems like, Remitta, IPPIS etc within few months to reduce multiple payment to a single person, eradicate 'ghost workers' and consolidate payment into single treasury account, then getting this done shouldn't take forever, but often, When we call out our current Government, many of us are tagged as 'wailers' and others have stopped 'constructive criticism' so that people don't tag them as Anti-Buhari or Anti-APC, but the fact remains we can have a Nation where 'criticism' is seen as hatred, It is high time 'We' the citizens irrespective of Political affiliation/contraptions tell ourselves the truth in the best interest of the future of this entity.

While hoping our Government do the 'needful' in this regard,
It is advisable all Nigerians keep safe from Convid-19, by observing all the safety procedures and visit the 'medics' if you're showing symptoms in other to safe people around you.

Shogo Oloshunde,
Lagos,
Nigeria

Original post posted 19th March 2020