President Muhammadu Buhari was
presidential in his address to the nation
on coronavirus (COVID-19) on Sunday. He
got off his accustomed armchair; stood up
and spoke to Nigerians like an unfeigned
commander-in-chief. I could see the
sense of urgency in his cadence and
grimace. Really, the president’s first
COVID-19 ‘’outing’’ is a far cry from the
previous televised embarrassments.
Though it was a pre-recorded broadcast,
the previous ones were recorded as well
yet dismal. So, there is some
improvement in the president’s public
address.

But it is dismaying that the president had to
wait until citizens gassed him out of Aso
Rock with ululations before he could do his
bounden duty. Weeks after coronavirus hit
the country; he is just addressing citizens on
this lethal threat. Be that as it may, he has
spoken so I will dwell on the content of his
speech.

The president said: ‘’Based on the advice of
the federal ministry of health and the
NCDC, I am directing the cessation of all
movements in Lagos and the FCT for an
initial period of 14 days with effect from
11pm on Monday, 30th March 2020. This
restriction will also apply to Ogun state due
to its close proximity to Lagos and the high
traffic between the two States.

‘’All citizens in these areas are to stay in
their homes. Travel to or from other states
should be postponed. All businesses and
offices within these locations should be fully
closed during this period.’’

‘’We will use this containment period to
identify, trace and isolate all individuals
that have come into contact with confirmed
cases. We will ensure the treatment of
confirmed cases while restricting further
spread to other states.’’

The order to lock down Abuja, Lagos and
Ogun is expected and apropos. It has been
proved by the China example that the
surest way to combat COVID-19 is through
social distancing – and the plausible method
of ensuring this is if people stay at home.

The same recipe is being applied in the UK,
Italy – where an entire region is
quarantined – and some other countries
facing this viral enemy. So, the order is a
conscionable and reasoned strategy to the
deal with this problem.

But I think the president’s relief plan for
Nigerians who will be impacted by this
lockdown should have been more robust.
Beyond his take on providing relief
materials for the vulnerable members of
society – which is quite inscrutable I must
say – there is no plan for working Nigerians
who will lose the means to provide for their
families at this time.

Also, I would have loved to see the
president roll out sustenance packages for
Nigerians who will be paying rent, electricity
and water bills and other essential bills
during this tortuous period.

In Canada, Justin Trudeau, the prime
minister, last week, announced a plan to
help ‘’workers whose income has been hit
by the coronavirus. Employees inside and
outside the unemployment insurance
system and the self-employed can apply to
receive C$2,000 each month for four
months’’ – according to Bloomberg. The
prime minister had also announced a
moratorium on rent and other essential bills
for working citizens. Also, the UK and the
US are implementing analogous relief plans
for their citizens.

As a matter of fact, we are not as rich as
those countries, but we could have
borrowed from how comprehensive their
plans are – not necessarily paying every
citizen a certain amount.

In addition, the president said: ‘’For the
most vulnerable in our society, I have
directed that the conditional cash transfers
for the next two months be paid
immediately. Our Internally displaced
persons will also receive two months of food
rations in the coming weeks.’’

I see a bit of ambiguity in this statement.
Who are the most vulnerable in our society?
What is the assessment for that? Really, at
this time, everyone in Nigeria is vulnerable.

Some companies are among the vulnerable,
most Nigerians, including those in the
middle class, are on the vulnerability
threshold. We are all made vulnerable by
coronavirus. So, the president’s relief plan
should have been more detailed and
encompassing.

In all, I hope the government will be more
responsive to unfolding developments on
COVID-19 in the country – particularly as it
relates to the economy — and initiate
measures accordingly, and not slither into
inertia after today.

Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist.
Twitter @FredrickNwabufo

https://www.thecable.ng/buharis-covid-19-speech-is-like-fine-wine-with-a-bit-of-vinegar

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This write-up was sweet to read. It's like eating margarine and freshly baked bread.
However, Nigeria currently cannot afford a welfare package for it's most vulnerable people, unless private companies and individuals do so instead of the Federal government.
A country that needs to borrow to fund it's yearly budget shouldn't try such.
The best advice is for us (in the affected states) to go out and share whatever relief materials we can afford with people in our neighbourhood.
I rest my case