By Martins Idakwo
The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by acute respiratory problems. The first confirmed case in Nigeria was announced on 27 February 2020, when an Italian citizen in Lagos tested positive for the virus.
On 28 April Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state made an announcement that the state now has an index case of COVID-19.
According to the Governor, the index case was a young lady who came into the state from Kano state last week, despite movement restrictions in both states.
Abuja has witnessed a huge influx of people into the city; the growth has led to the emergence of satellite towns, such as Karu Urban Area, Suleja, Gwagwalada, Lugbe, Kuje, and smaller settlements towards which the planned city is sprawling. Also, the border towns have grown in lips and bounds. One such community is Karu LGA.
Karu LGA is in Nasarawa State and is among the towns that make up the Karu urban area, a conurbation of towns stretching to Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. Its neighboring towns are Ado, New Nyanya, Masaka New Karu and Kurunduma villages that grew as a result of the rapid growth and expansion of administrative and economic activities of Abuja into neighboring towns – coupled with the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Abuja by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration.
The city of Abuja was not designed to give room for low-income earners to thrive and live. Abuja has a clearly-defined wide margin between the ruling class, the rich and the poor. Thereby making more of its workforce to settle on border towns like; Berger is to Lagos, Aba is to Port Harcourt, and other several border communities.
Mararaba is believed to be one of the most densely populated suburbs around Abuja, the Nigerian capital city, and this contributes to its reputation as having one of the busiest road channels with traffic jams stretching as much as 11 kilometers from the popular A.Y.A. junction during rush hours.
Thousands of people working in public and private sectors living in the outskirts rely on the public transportation system that barely meets their expectations, and with this pandemic, things will be worse.
Obviously there was no serious commitment towards improving the transportation system in Abuja and its bordering communities despite increased population, occasioned by poor policy implementation.
Lock Down and Curfew
In a move to combat the spread of the pandemic disease, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days. This took effect from 11 PM on Monday, 30th March 2020. The movement restriction, which was extended by another two-week period, has been partially put on hold, with some businesses commencing operations from May 4. On April 27th, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari declared an overnight curfew from 8 PM to 6 AM across the country, as part of new measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19. This comes along with the phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos, and Ogun States, which took effect from Saturday, 2nd May 2020, at 9 AM.
How Nasarawa Has Responded to COVID-19 So Far
On April 28, when Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state made the announcement of the index case of COVID-19 traced to Kano State, restriction measures were in effect in both states. The governor also stressed that the restriction is particularly necessary considering the influx of people from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which has a good number of confirmed cases of COVID-19.
He said; “it is for this reason and in line with the provision of the Nasarawa State Dangerous Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations, 2020, as well as the advice of the Nasarawa State High Powered Committee on COVID-19, the following measures come into immediate effect:
Entry into Nasarawa state is hereby restricted to between 6:00 pm to 6:00 am and all persons coming into the State shall continue to be screened at the designated check-points/mobile clinics.” This, to a large extent, has been upheld. Body temperature is being checked at every entry-point into the state.
He added that movement in Lafia, the state capital, and other urban centers in the state are hereby restricted from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am with effect from Thursday, 2nd April 2020.
Some had earlier suggested that mass temperature check be conducted from house to house, pending when NCDC can reach them for further investigations. For example, Karu residents have called for the deployment of many resources and personnel for mass-testing by NCDC to ambush this potential of a surge in COVID-19 cases across Karu LGA, where the population is relatively dense in Nasarawa State.
Globally, rapid mass testing is seen as a better alternative especially in the face of no vaccine or cure for COVID-19.
The Total number of confirmed cases in the FCT stands at 687 while the recovered cases are at 202. Total Death is at 20.
In Nasarawa, the total number of cases (lab confirmed) is 88. The number of cases on admission is 66, number of discharged cases 19, and Number of death 3.
These figures measure the extent of COVID-19 spread in Nasarawa and generally indicate a low level of spread, at least compared to other states with high prevalence rates. But this is (at least) partly driven by low levels of testing.
Nigeria, with about 200 million people, had conducted just above 69,801 tests as of June 3. Botswana, with a population of around 1% that of Nigeria, had conducted over 10,000 COVID-19 tests as of May 23. South Africa, having a quarter of Nigeria’s population, had conducted around 200,000 tests as of June 2. In Nigeria, the recorded confirmed cases are over 11166, with 315 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
Nigeria’s coronavirus spread had initially been concentrated in Abuja, Lagos, and Ogun state. Those three areas were on lockdown since March 30, with an announcement by President Buhari to begin easing some restrictions beginning in May.
Various Nigerian leaders have been largely supportive of the lockdowns, at least initially. Both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) have supported the government lockdowns, and have worked with some local and state governments to disseminate accurate information and encourage compliance.
The NSCIA, in fact, ordered the closure of their Abuja mosques a full week before the government-imposed lockdown. Many state governors imposed their own lockdowns despite no requirement from the Federal Government, and on April 22, all unanimously agreed to ban interstate travel for two weeks. That states and Nigerian leaders at the highest level are working together, is a good sign.
Following the partial lifting of the lockdown imposed on the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Lagos and Ogun state, FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has warned civil servants living in the ”contiguous’’ states of Nasarawa and Niger – but working in the nation’s capital not to resume work until further notice. A measure that has helped in reducing the spread.
All workers who reside outside the FCT have been directed to remain in their respective States of residence “until the ban on interstate travel is lifted”, according to the minister in an updated list of guidelines on the easing of lockdown.
He said the FCTA will vigorously enforce the overnight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am, and in order to prevent possible patients of COVID-19 from coming into the Federal Capital Territory, it will also enforce very strictly, the ban on interstate travel.
If we are to go by the statistics released by the NCDC, the case should be vice versa.
