Ghana has lifted the 3-week restrictions that had been imposed on its citizens in the capital city of Accra as well the commercial nerve centre of Kumasi. This lockdown [that was instituted almost at the same time the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari , issued an Executive Order restricting the movements of person in three states , ] was finally relaxed during a televised broadcast on Sunday by the Ghanaian President.

The President, Akufo-Addo made it known that the gold-producing nation has successfully tested more than 60,000 residents , with just above 1,000 coming back positive. He said, “we’ve been able to understand better the dynamism of the virus, mapped out its goegraphic footprint and established current and potential hotspots.”

“We’ve also been able to isolate and educate asymptomatic carriers and thereby help minimize the spread of the virus."

Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo further expatiates that “in view of our ability to undertake aggressive contact tracing of infected persons, the enhancement of our capacity to test, the expansion in the numbers of our treatment and isolation centres, our better understanding of the dynamism of the virus, the ramping up of our domestic capacity to produce our own personal protective equipment, sanitisers and medicines, the modest successes chalked at containing the spread of the virus in Accra and Kumasi, and the severe impact on the poor and vulnerable, I have taken the decision to lift the three-week-old restriction on movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa, and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts, with effect from 1 am on Monday, 20th April.”

Ghana may have lifted the lockdown to get people back to work and restart the economy so its citizens who relied on daily transactions to earn a living and feed, can begin to do so without the help of handouts from donors, but this relaxation of the restrictions on movement does not in any way entail the resumption of life to pre-Coronavirus outbreak times. The country's borders would remain closed, the ban on social gatherings are still intact, religious gatherings are to adhere strictly to extant social distancing protocols, and Nigeria can learn from these measures towards ending our lockdown.

The lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun that was imposed by the Federal Government and slated to expire after seven days from now could follow the Ghanaian model in gradually incorporating business activities to pre-Coronavirus status quo. As Ramadan approaches , mosques around the nation should be asked not to open for congregational prayers, small and medium scale businesses should be opened but under the supervision of council corps personnel that monitors the level of adherence to social distancing guidelines.

Public transportation is perhaps the most difficult place to enforce distancing, but just like other shared places, people in Nigeria should be required by administrative order to wear face masks. After a sign that showcases the flattening of the Covid-19 curve , schools and religious centres can then be opened , but with the condition that commuters obey the facemasks and social distancing protocols to avoid an escalation.

Ghana wants to prepare for elections coming up before the end of the year.

Our landmass, population coupled with high level of illiteracy in some parts plus the government not been transparent with pallatives that ought to mitigate the effect of the lockdown can't enable us to achieve this like Ghana...

Wether Ghana has taken the right step or not, time will tell. For now our country is still better off.

Nigerian youths and inferiority complex, anything other people do must mean that Nigeria must learn from them regardless of a million and one factors why Nigeria must not follow any country's footsteps.

Learn what exactly?