Lagos, 27 October, 2020 - Border security officers in Nigeria already contend with a raft of challenges in deterring illegal traffic and ensuring safety. In Ogun state in the country’s south-west where the country’s first COVID-19 case was detected, they are now also helping to curb the importation of COVID-19.“We let them know the danger of someone coming in and keeping quiet about it,” says Dr Sunday Dele Omoniyi Abidoye, World Health Organization (WHO) Ogun state coordinator who was also part of the advocacy team. Apart from COVID-19, Ogun is also at risk of other infectious diseases like polio, he says. In August 2020, Africa was certified free of wild polio four years after the continent’s last cases were detected in Nigeria.But a few challenges remain, according to Dr Onyibe. One of them is reaching remote border communities and convincing the many who believe that COVID-19 does not exist. Another is coordinating and harmonizing health data sent by border officials from various government security agencies, but she adds, WHO is ready to support states with sensitization, surveillance and logistics.

State officials are certain that adherence to guidelines will continue to increase with intense sensitization. Dr Adeniyi is already planning more advocacy meetings. “As long as the pandemic is still with us, we have to continue telling people that it’s not over until it’s over.”

We want more people like Dr. abidoye. Know what should be done first. Don't be like some countries, from the beginning, blindly and confidently think that covid-19 is nothing to be afraid of, just like the flu, it will pass quickly. Just because of such misleading, it has led to serious consequences. Now it seems that it is a terrible thing to have such a person in charge of the country. I hope our country should take a warning and attach great importance to it. As long as covid-19 is still with us, we must continue to be vigilant until covid-19 is over.