Intel News brief interview with the National Chairman of Young Progressive Party, Comrade Bishop Amakiri on the Federal Government’s partial Lifting of Lockdown in the Country
QUESTION: What do you have to say regarding the partial lifting of the lockdown from Monday?
Answer: Corona Virus came and caught every country unprepared. But most of our African Leaders are not thinking of the future. We need to break away from the culture of copy and paste from the western world; when they imposed lockdown, we followed them to do same, now they are relaxing their own lockdown, we are also following them to do so. We have to strike a balance. We must operate with the realities within the shores of our countries. We must not be playing to the gallery of the western countries. Take example of the President of Madagascar, a man who came out to say; “I have a cure for the corona virus”. That’s a man who is thinking out of the box, and what I expected African leaders to do, was to rally round him and give him support. But unfortunately nobody is talking. The western countries don’t like it when Africa is beginning to think about their own self independence. They don’t want us to have our total independence.
For me, I think at the moment, this partial lifting of lockdown; is a trial test by the Federal Government. For the past one month we have been indoors, we thought the virus won’t be increasing, but unfortunately, its over two thousand cases now.
We expected that by now, the environment would have been conducive for people to give credit to government for what they are doing. But I don’t think anybody will score government credible on what they are doing. However I also want to advise members of the public that we just have to come together, put our hands on deck, and help the government. Cos when you talk of the government, it is the people that are the government. So we can’t allow the entire responsibility to be on government alone.
Am sure this is an experiment for government to see what happens in a week or thereabout. So let us watch and see, and while watching let us be cautious and abide by the best global practices on precautionary measures, which is to wash your hand constantly with soap and use of hand sanitizers. Social distancing is very important.
At the moment, the virus spread is rapidly increasing. I understand that people want to go back to their businesses and economic pursuit. Not everyone can stay a month under lockdown and come out with sound mental capacity. This lockdown have caused some people psychological trauma that they might not even recover from in the next couple of months.
So, I think the lifting of the lockdown will serve as a way of reawakening the people’s spirit, because honestly, we are not used to this. And if the government, had gone so strict to say, we continue the lockdown for another two to three months, I assure you, it would have been an entire new ball game altogether.
But at the moment, together as our brother’s keeper, let us make sure that we comply with the government rules and regulations and the NCDC guidelines.
Together we will wither the storm. Countries are suffering like us; Nigeria’s case is not peculiar.
