COVID-19 In Kano: Truth And Falsehood Are In a Race!, By Adamu Muhammad Nababa
POLITICS DIGEST – The Covid-19 pandemic, the global health emergency that has overwhelmed and seemingly over powering humanity, has as well found a silent breeding ground in Kano, Nigeria. It is city with a projection of over twenty million people. It is in so many respects, like Mumbai City of India.
In Kano, every one live like a King of sort, believe only in what you wish and insist on being always right. And there are several shades of beliefs which chiefly are religious or political, elitist to stark ignorance.
To some, to date, the Covid-19 is a ruse. A concocted story to tame global population growth, whither Islam, cage the poor, or preparer a fertile ground for sale of a high profile vaccine.
To some, it is a political ploy, and how this is arrived at does not matter. Government at all levels have failed, the APC has not prepared itself for the appropriate response because it has no qualms with whatever befalls it’s citizens. So come 2023, a political campaign weapon is already handy. It will pay for it’s actions, or inactions. In all these, the confirmed cases are only increasing. And not a single politician in the city has donated relevant sum or equipment to the NCDC in the State to fight the ravaging virus. And where this appeared to be done, it is either a misplaced priority or just a dummy sold to gullible political class. The Government is obviously facing a serious political opposition instead of support for common good. Whatever the Government dolled out, it will be fiercely condemned, and if it insist in having its way, the agitation against it increases. Lockdown, stay at home, restriction of movements and social distancing are some of the global practices since January this year, but in Kano, it is practiced more in the breach than compliance. People violates the orders daily, attend congregations, shake hands at will, refuse the etiquette of washing hands with soap or sanitizers, wait for face masks to be distributed, attend condolences and funerals in total disregard to acceptable standards!
When the Mobile Tribunals were inaugurated, it was seen as a calculated attempt to generate revenue to Government but not seen as a measure of enforcing the restriction of movements. Today, people visit those they like, go to where they wish because they have ways to beat the stay at home order.
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The elites do not help matters. Because instead of trying to educate neighbours and relatives of the danger ahead, end up creating more misunderstanding among the people. The strange and sudden deaths being recorded daily in Kano is being used to develop more conspiracy theories. Of course it is a matter of concern to dig deep and find out why and immediate measures taken by Government. The elites are busy playing blame game with the issue. And we believe death is inevitable, it will come when it will come.
The elites are the most crudest political catalysts we have in Kano. Always hiding behind one issue or the other and smack at others for political or religious reasons, or a combination of many factors but never brave enough to show where they belong or stand firm on it. The support they give to neighbours are negligible, the awareness creation is low, the contact with the local villager is so low that they are not really in touch with the real downtrodden who live from hand to mouth. They are heard only on elitist matters or when something directly affects them, they are only bookish in their support to the common man. They have no link with the wretched of the earth in Kano, not even a visit to feel the pulse of the life of a pauper who has only casually visited or hardly slept in the city in his life.
The social media is also used for so many purposes to hoodwink the public. It is no longer reliable, that is if has ever been so reliable. Mischief makers are always waiting to throw mud at those they have an ox to grind. Sharing and forwarding, copy and paste, photoshooting and fake news have come to dominate what is otherwise a good tool of development hinged on truths and respect. Hundreds of thosands of messages are circulated by people who hardly care to know the source or use verification tool before accepting it as worthy of public attention. And many live on the scam without ever originating an idea or script for public good, it is largely to condemn, denigrate, insult, misinform, misled, abuse, embarrass among others that they use social media outlets. The social media is abused.
A lot of things are fouled in the populous city of Kano, but they are all self inflicted. While the ground is fertile for almost every good thing, it is up to the populace to make it useful instead of allowing con men to continue putting the fertile ground to bad use.
It is time to understand it is one thing to support a Government and entirely a different thing to be part of it. Supporting it in a time like this is an obligation because you are supporting humanity. Supporting a Government does not necessarily mean you must be noticed by it because it is the people who matter to you.
The Government at this critical time, must be prudent in giving out palliatives and make it transparent and available. It should continue unabated to reach the remotest parts of the State. The number of beneficiaries is still very low and identified packaging is essential. Cooked food need to be seen on the streets or households during this Ramadan period because there are needy people in high numbers without food or water.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continue to take it’s toll, Kano State Government and the people must put aside any real or imagined differences and put heads together for the good of all. Almost every home is burryying it’s dead for various disease, whatever the cause, we should not loose our heads. The race for truth should be allowed to over take the falsehood we may choose.
Nababa wrote via [email protected]
