I have keenly followed the Covid 19 pandemic outbreak in Nigeria including government's efforts to contain it. I also monitor citizen's response to rules and I must admit, there is fire on the mountain......ewu nbe l'oko Longe!!

Without bothering you about what has happened in the past, some of them I captured in my series of offhand articles, where we are today is what now bothers me.

Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu has been quoted to have said that we should expect more positive cases as we move on. He is honest. His government even admitted that the danger is that the capacity to take in more patients into the isolation centre will be exhausted shortly and that is where the problem lies.

He has also gave a long list of programmes towards easing the lockdown starting from Monday, 4th May, 2020.
Now here are my worries.

From monday, many workers are expected to resume for work between the hours of 9am till 3pm. Majority of them will struggle to board the public transport that will definitely not adhere to the rules. If I were you, I will join the staff bus where some measures of compliance is expected and if not possible, pick a ride with colleagues or follow BRT buses.

However you do it, use face mask, wash and sanitize regularly and when you get home, put your clothes into laundry, have a hot bathe before you have anything to do with your family.
Levels 1 to 12, please stay away. Stop wandering about and reduce the number of people on the street please.The Government has excused you from work please!!

For commercial bus drivers and conductor, you have been told to wear mask as well as hand gloves. You are also expected to have sanitizer in your bus while you decontaminate after each trip. If I were you, i will simply follow this and be thankful that you can still make small money to survive.
Remember some other businesses are not allowed to operate yet.

We have also been advised to observe curfew between 8pm in the night and 6am in the morning. If I were you, I will strictly follow that to avoid issues with the security agents and especially the bad boys who will sure take advantage of this to attack those coming back late. Ensure your target is to get home 6pm daily. Rest over the weekend and plan your next week.

Clubs, gyms, spas, barbing salon, bars and such public places have been banned from operating. If I were you, I will obey government rules. Some of those who will patronize you may be carrier of the virus and am sure no money is worth your life. Think of other opportunities for you to survive. We will win at the long run and only survivors will gain from the boom that will follow.

Okada! Okada!! You have been banned from operating throughout the state. I am sure this cannot be enforced because of capacity of our law enforcement agents as these set of Nigerians have been known to be lawless. If I were you, I will not climb okada even if they are available because the rule of social distancing will be broken. If you love your life and you love your family, please heed this warning.

There are so many other responsibilities that are expected of government offices and business owners to put in place to ensure the safety of workers. Rules on social distancing, provision of wash hands stands, sanitizers as well as ensuring staff are allowed to close on time and where possible provide them with staff buses to help them. If I were a CEO, I will gladly do that as only staff that are alive that can help my business grow.

For you business owners who are eager to reopen on monday. If I were you, I will still advise my staff to continue to work from home for some time until things appear better.
Remember, it takes only one staff to be infected for your company to totally shut down. The cost of decontamination, the prices of self isolation and the danger of having many staff infected is grim. Can you afford it? Think deep!!

So much for the rules and regulations.

Now to the powers that be. When you want buses to carry 60% of its capacity, wear mask n gloves and also to decontaminate at the end of every trip, what programme did you put in place to make this possible,? Will there be a point at Bus stations where buses will be sanitized ? How cheap can they buy good face mask and sanitizer etc? If all these will be an additional cost to bus drivers, I bet they will load their buses full and there will be nobody to stop them. Take a bet? I see our people rush at buses as if Corona no dey o!

Again for other businesses that are banned from operating, what is government plan for them? So, of what effects are those palliative bonanza that is unsustainable now that it has stopped and some people are yet to start making money ?

What happens to the multitude of okada riders and Keke Marwa operators who can't survive with the 2 passenger rules? Is government prepared for the rise in crime that is sure to follow knowing fully well that a lot of people are still unable to earn a living and are thus a willing hands for evil thoughts? Many begging questions!!


Quite a lot is expected from government but if I were you, i will chose to first be alive by accepting that Covid 19 is real and that government is sincerely concerned about stopping the spread. Knowing this fact, i will make sure i observe social distancing by avoiding crowded places, improve on my personal hygiene and ensure that my neighbours also do. Irorun igi ni irorun eye.

If I were you also, I will now begin to look at opportunities that are available to me within the new realities that we find ourselves. We can look in the way of Agro allied ventures, learning a trade or do a new course that will ensure you survive all seasons.

You sure must have multiple stream of income going forward. This applies to this writer too and my eyes are set on few of such opportunities.

For those who have the means, if I were you, I will continue to render useful assistance to my neighbour whose infection could affect me. Support people with foodstuff, money, clothing where neccessry and can even pay for training of people in new business. Remember the saying that the children of the poor that was neglected will eat up your own when trouble starts.

I do not expect that government will be able to handle all these knowing the economy is bad. However, government still need to come close to the people by being honest, transparent and showing symphaty to those who are mostly affected by this lockdown and the pandemic itself.

Government should assist businesses with tax holiday, review of loan repayment, grants to small scale businesses, affordable loan packages to companies, creating enabling environment to prevent job losses as well as direct palliative cash transfer to the most vulnerable in our midst.

Let us not wait till the worst happens before we act

so