Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Sunday 12th April 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 12/04/20
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E2%80%9Cwhen-they-bring-light%E2%80%9D-policy-%E2%80%93-if-discos-are-more-predictable-covid-19-more-beatable “When They Bring Light” Policy – If Discos Are More Predictable, COVID-19 Is More Beatable By Ikenna Oguguo
Electricity
Growing up in Nigeria, the answer to many questions about when something could happen – when work could get done, when school research could get done, when water could get pumped, and so on – was “When They Bring Light”. This is not a piece about why there is still a shortage of electricity in Nigeria several decades after. Many media outlets have done well to cover the political finger-pointing and bureaucratic dysfunction that has kept citizens in the Dark Ages, literally, with energy produced per person less than 5% that of emerging economies (IMF, 2017). Rather, today there must be a focus on what must be done swiftly by the providers in the power sector to ensure Nigeria overcomes COVID-19, and that focus should be on adding predictability. “When They Bring Light”. OK, but when exactly is that? Regular citizens still have no clue. In the context of the COVID-19 crisis where people need to self-isolate for the sake of public health, the ability to predict when power will be available is a crucial service that would allow citizens to be more productive with limited resources, and thus, more likely to stay home longer.
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, especially in the face of unincentivized power companies. When former President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the 2005 privatisation reforms (the Electric Power Sector Reform Act or EPSRA), the document itself included levers which could be pulled to spark some level of competition, such as introducing other sellers of electricity alongside the electricity distribution companies (DisCos). While the presence of those levers reveals that there was an awareness of the lack of competition in the sector that may stagnate performance, an assessment of how effective those levers are in addressing the problem causes concern. Put simply, there are two key problems that make it difficult to incentivise DisCos to act. The first is that each DisCo has an unchecked natural monopoly over the region it serves. The problem is not the strong natural monopoly, in fact, the infrastructure costs are so high that having multiple distribution networks serve the same customers is impractical. This is normal around the world. The problem is that the distribution monopolies in Nigeria are unchecked. Effective checks on monopolies typically include some form of transparency where the entities publish key performance metrics publicly, and for DisCos this would be a schedule of hourly power availability for every region of the country, shared months in advance. The second problem is that the sector’s other key players, the generation companies (GenCos) and the transmission company of Nigeria (TCN), are separate entities with separate incentives that make accountability difficult to establish.
Especially (but not exclusively) during this pandemic, customers need better responsiveness from all three, particularly the DisCos who can make and publish a formal schedule for citizens to be able to predict when electricity will be available. But how can such a swift response be incentivised, given the unchecked monopoly of DisCos and split interests of the rest of the value chain? That leads to further interconnected sub-questions:
1) What crucial actions are needed from DisCos as households and businesses are locked down for safety?
2) Why may such actions be opposed?
3) Conclusively, what does this all mean for a speedy reform that can improve the chances of citizens staying home productively during the new coronavirus, COVID-19? And what about after COVID-19?
Video of WhenTheyBringLight – IN NIGERIA, IF DISCOS ARE MORE PREDICTABLE, COVID-19 IS MORE BEATABLE
WhenTheyBringLight – IN NIGERIA, IF DISCOS ARE MORE PREDICTABLE, COVID-19 IS MORE BEATABLE
What crucial actions are needed?
Following recommendations of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Health, President Muhammadu Buhari declared COVID-19 a dangerous infectious disease and mandated cessation of movements in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun – for the safety of citizens in these high-risk regions. For at least a few weeks following the 30th of March, 2020, the Quarantine Act will mean that 30million people must halt travel to their businesses and schools, with an expectation to conduct all necessities from their homes. To succeed, we need to schedule electricity accordingly.
With the lockdown, employees and students all around the world strive to maintain some of their commercial and academic productivity from home. However, the structure of Nigerian citizens’ power sources jeopardises the idea of remaining active remotely. Before the lockdown, businesses (including schools) provided the bulk of electricity for many citizens, with 86% of businesses running generators for most of their energy needs (Center for Global Development, 2014). Only 26% of households can afford such luxury, the rest have had to be content with an average of 3.6 to 6.3 hours per day of electricity, depending on region (National Bureau of Statistics, 2016). Worse still, the supply is unpredictable and uneven. Power cuts happen without schedule or warning, taking hours, days or sometimes weeks to return, and some – typically, affluent – localities enjoy a lot more energy availability than the majority. While the long-term goal is to deal with the low supply of electricity, the short-term goal should be scheduling when each locality gets their hours, as predictably and equitably as possible.
To demonstrate that such a schedule is within the technical capability of DisCos, one need only look to examples around our subcontinent where power cuts are prearranged. Zambia’s power company, ZESCO Limited, manages the deficit between demand and supply of electricity by communicating a time table on their website for every region, countrywide. When needed, South Africa’s power company, Eskom, does the same. While such examples demonstrate that such a schedule can be put together and shared, what is less apparent are the possible reasons such a schedule is still unavailable to the Nigerian public today.
Why may such actions be opposed?
Firstly, even though the need for a power availability schedule (called a Load Shedding Schedule in some countries) is intended to improve household productivity, DisCos are likely to fear the public backlash of publishing poor performance for all to see. Sharing planned outages may not only heighten dissatisfaction amongst their customers, but influential customers may pressurise DisCos to make time and duration allocations in their favour. However, it is likely that such pressures already exist, and hence, publishing a schedule not only improves the users’ ability to plan, but it becomes an incentive for DisCos to improve capacity and equity. Management at DisCos would face the discomfiture that comes with poor performance for the regions they hold natural monopolies on.
Secondly, low sectoral accountability has placed the sector in a precarious position where improvements are stagnated, and no one feels equipped to or interested in taking responsibility. Zambia and South Africa both run an energy sector that is a consolidated entity, both ZESCO and Eskom run the entire value chain of generation, transmission and distribution. In contrast, Nigeria runs an unbundled and fragmented value chain where separate entities run generation (x6), transmission (x1) and distribution (x11). This split yields problems when trying to pinpoint accountability for sector-wide performance problems. Combined with the lack of choice and competition among DisCos, this lack of accountability means that it is quite difficult for customers to demand a rapid response to this request for a schedule – even with the pandemic heightening the stakes.
The case of the recent Willing Buyer Willing Seller (WBWS) policy put forth by the Ministry of Power offers insight to how these oppositions manifest in context. The WBWS policy is a lever permitted by the EPSRA 2005 which the Ministry of Power enacted in December 2019 to allow GenCos sell electricity directly to users. However, this policy follows familiar and unsatisfying motions. That is, DisCos struggle to keep up with demand, a new policy tries to circumvent this without addressing neither the problem of unchecked monopoly nor the lack of accountability, and no immediate improvements occur for users.
DisCos have been on the backfoot for a while, not only due to lack of competition but also due to rising demand. On one hand, access has been stagnant – 52% of the population had access to the grid in 2003 and still only 54% in 2017, and energy capacity is low – only 144kWh/capita of energy can be consumed, which is just 2% of Germany’s per capita energy consumption (World Bank Data, 2003, 2014, 2017). On the other hand, the growth rate of the population creates a moving target that leaves DisCos perpetually behind. The increase of 55million people since 2005 undoubtedly challenges DisCos’ ability to improve service per capita. However, the megawatts (MW) power capacity of the sector, a proxy that represents the number of consumers that can be served at any single moment, tells a less excusable story. While GenCos are culpable too with actual production of only about 7,650MW, the DisCos’ capacity to distribute power is even less, at about 5,000MW (Nigeria Electricity System Operator Report, 2020). WBWS institutes an allowance for customers to buy the leftover 2650MW directly from GenCos.
While the idea behind WBWS (which builds on Part II Section 26 of the EPSRA) is to bypass some of the DisCos’ monopoly and spark some competition, the policy also intends to target the problem of imbalance in government subsidies. The sector’s government subsidies have so far disproportionately favoured the rich. Higher-income earners tend to use more electricity than their lower-income counterparts, and this translates to the bulk of government subsidies going unnecessarily to the wealthier few. Considering that such subsidies discourage private investors, the WBWS policy’s aim of mitigating subsidies has its merits. However, a closer look at the policy demonstrates how it may struggle to alleviate key problems the sector faces, and the change introduced falls short of incentivising DisCos to act.
Challenge No.1: For most people WBWS is too expensive, which disqualifies the choice
With the bulk of the population living on less than $1.90 a day (World Bank Data, 2018), the price premium for WBWS is untenable for most. In exchange for near-100% power availability, WBWS requires that customers pay unsubsidised tariffs, but that’s conservatively estimated to be an increase of 50% in rates, and up to 10 times in absolute fees for those that indeed receive near-constant electricity. Users already struggle to afford the subsidized electricity bills, with payment rates below 60% in most regions of the country (PwC, 2019). Further still, many bills are unpaid due to the distrust customers have for providers following a history of overbilling by the DisCos, a criticism that has been verified by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) – the sector’s independent regulator. WBWS mandates that prepayment meters are installed to track usage and allow customers to consume only after preloading credit. While this pay-as-you-go system improves the billing reliability, consumers have been expected to pay the installation costs. By design, all these costs combine in a way that excludes most users from the choice, competition remains weak, and thus, the unchecked monopolies persist.
Challenge No.2: Rather than address accountability, it focuses only on profitability
The WBWS case demonstrates how accountability for weak infrastructure remains unaddressed, while the providers jostle for profitability. As stated above, bill collection rates are low, and many customers struggle with affordability, to the point that the DisCos in turn are up to $3.2Billion in debt to GenCos (Ministry of Power, 2019). Although WBWS shores up GenCos’ revenues by allowing some customers pay directly, the customers able to make such payments would likely be those that are financially strongest. Thus, WBWS may inadvertently shrink the pool of paying customers, and in doing so, limit the revenues DisCos need for infrastructural investments. While the policy tries to protect DisCos by offering them first-right-of-refusal of GenCo-supplied megawatts, the fewer customers that pay, the less capacity DisCos will have to support the population and the larger the profitability GenCos can benefit from. In all this, the accountability to GenCos seems to be overshadowing the accountability to customers.
Conclusion: What does this all mean for a speedy reform that can improve the chances of citizens staying home productively during the new coronavirus, COVID-19? What about after COVID-19?
As it seems against the DisCos’ incentives to swiftly support citizens by sharing a schedule, particularly considering their lagging performance, infrastructural incapability, and lack of accountability for their role in the sector, the government may have to intervene. Although DisCos are private companies, the federal government still owns a 40% stake in all DisCos, which should serve as an opportunity to influence for the good of the public. The Ministry of Power, and NERC, should mandate that a power availability schedule be created and shared publicly to aid both this time of crisis management and thereafter.
It is necessary to acknowledge there are other political implications of transparently publishing regional energy availability. While the sectoral activities and population of some regions demand more energy provision than others, other unwarranted variations likely exist, and in general, regional variations may be politically consequential. However, part of the intent of transparency is to motivate equity as part of the schedule creation. Political consequences are growing pains that come with leadership, and the examples of Zambia and South Africa help show how these may be adapted for Nigeria’s benefit. The safety and productivity of the nation supersede all other interests or concerns.
Also, why limit the scope to COVID-19? Certainly, this pandemic calls for bold and quick actions, but such productivity gains should be expected to carry on afterwards. The short-term benefits of this transparent schedule of power distribution include equity in service for each customer, the ability to ration resources such as generator fuel, and the added ability to organise productivity around the expected periods of service, no matter what time of day/night that is. In the long-term, such benefits not only continue, but this schedule can serve as a form of accountability for DisCos; a trackable data source that citizens can hold company management to if improvements continue to stagnate, or a source to celebrate performance should improvements emerge.
Ikenna Oguguo, CEng MIET, MSc, is a chartered engineer and member of the institute of engineering and technology.
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BREAKING: Delta Records Third Case Of COVID-19
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Delta State has recorded its third case of Coronavirus.
Ifeayi Okowa, governor of the state, in a post on Twitter on Saturday, confirmed the development.
Okowa said the patient, a male, was diagnosed in Asaba, the state capital, and has been placed on isolation.
He said, “We have just confirmed the third case of ?#COVID19? in Delta State. The patient, a male, was diagnosed today in Asaba, our state capital, and is currently being managed by our healthcare professionals in one of our isolation centres.
“The patient is currently in a good state and responding to treatment and we have already began to track all those that have had contact with him.
“The confirmation of this third case further reinforces our call for social distancing and a lockdown. All Christians should worship at home tomorrow.”The confirmation of this third case further reinforces our call for social distancing and a lockdown. All Christians should worship at home tomorrow.— Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa (@IAOkowa) April 11, 2020
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E2%80%93buhari BREAKING: Stay At Home, Lockdown Will Last As Long As Our Advisers Say –Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to stay at home, adding that restriction of movement in some states and Federal Capital Territory will remain as long as experts find it necessary.
The President had on March 29 ordered a lockdown of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
In statement on Saturday signed by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Buhari said his government had implemented multiple measures to assist Nigerians during the lockdown.
He said, “We realise that today there will be sons and daughters unable to visit their parents, and elders that are isolated from young ones. And there will be those who live day-to-day, eating as they earn, who face real and present suffering.
“No elected government could ask more of the citizens of the country that elected them than today we ask of you. But we must ask you – once more – to observe restrictions on movement where they are in place, and follow the instructions of our scientists and medical advisers: stay home, wash your hands, save lives.
“The freedoms we ask you to willingly forsake today will only last as long as our scientific advisers declare they are necessary. But they are essential – world over – to halt and defeat the spread of this virus.
“For those who suffer most egregiously, the government has announced multiple measures to assist: 70,000 tonnes of grain is being released from the National Strategic Grain Reserves for distribution to those in most need; distribution of small cash payments are also being made, and will continue to be made by the Federal Government in the states and local government areas.
“We ask you to listen and follow public announcements via the mass media for instructions as to how to receive this government support – and learn of more public assistance in the coming days.
“All that the Government is asking you to endure is because nowhere in the world today is there any known way of defeating this pandemic. There is no vaccine. And that means there are choices to be made: between continuing as usual, or accepting the restrictions even when they come with unintended consequences.
“But at this darkest hour, it remains our duty to offer you the full and unvarnished truth: This is a global pandemic, 210 countries and territories across the globe are affected. We cannot expect others to come to our assistance. No one is coming to defeat this virus for us.
“Instead, the defeat of the virus in our country will be in our hands, alone. We cannot wait for others. We can only depend on ourselves now. And so we must – and we will – end this outbreak ourselves as Nigerians, together.”
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BREAKING: Kano Records First Case Of COVID-19
Kano State on Saturday confirmed its first case of Coronavirus.
Commissioner of Health in the state, Dr Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, who confirmed the case, didn’t give further details of the patient.
Tsanyawa said the state government would soon make an official announcement on the development as the governor was said to be in a meeting with health experts and the state COVID-19 committee.
However, sources said the COVID-19 patient just returned from Lagos State to Kano.
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BREAKING: Lagos Government Discharges 11-year-old boy, Three Other COVID-19 Patients
Four patients including an 11-year-old boy receiving treatment for Coronavirus in Lagos have been discharged after recovering from the disease.
Governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the announcement in a Twitter post on Saturday.
He said, “Today, four more patients; all male, including an 11-year-old boy have been discharged from the Lagos State isolation facilities to reunite with the society.
“The patients; three from IDH, Yaba, and one from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital were discharged having recovered fully and tested negative twice to ?#COVID19.
“This brings to 50 the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our isolation facilities.”
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The Silent Nigerian Class Struggle: A Recipe For Socio-Economic Discomfort By Evans Ufeli Esq
There is a disconcerting silent class struggle in Nigeria amongst the different social strata of her citizens in the country, which the novel Coronavirus pandemic has exposed to us in the most glaring terms ever. Nigerians first, have been informed repeatedly to maintain social distancing this period to avoid a possible spread of the disease and most importantly stay indoors to enable the relevant authorities charged with the responsibility of controlling the disease contain the pandemic.
Many Nigerians have deliberately refused to comply with the orders of the government. One of the root-causes of such insubordination is not far from the obvious fact that many Nigerians believe that this country belongs to the elite only and that whatsoever order they make for themselves should not apply to them since the government does not really care about them. Their argument is further strengthened by the very noticeable fact that since the people provide everything for themselves, including basic amenities, which ordinarily is the duty of government to do, why should the government issue orders to them.
This is a dangerous social injury that the political class has failed to address, this painful sore that has become a cankerworm eating deeply into the very fabrics of our nation’s solidarity have been left to fester unconditionally and this is capable of igniting a monstrous insurrection in the nearest future. The compliance ratio to law in Nigeria has dropped incredibly as the misery index rises where survival at all cost has become a fierce battle for a huge population like ours. Little wonder Nigerians are becoming deeply aggressive even on this platform where people make violent comments with deep-seated anger and hatred for whoever chooses to address issue of concern even when they have not read or listen to the details or argument canvassed.
The resources of this country over the years have been mismanaged by the elite to the point where we have very rich people living in opulence, masquerading and brandishing their wealth alongside very poor people who can barely feed themselves. This class difference is not insulated from one of the major factors instigating these resentful and bitter masses of this country. A struggling population preoccupied with all kinds of vices and acerbic hardship, mass misery and widespread poverty. More painful is that the country possesses enormous resources to see to it that her people’s security and welfare are preserved and guarantee, but for bad managers of the affairs of this country, nothing is working in the direction of change.
In view of the foregoing, people will definitely be resentful anywhere socio-economic injustice reigns. The Nigerian case terribly offends the social contract theory where the people having submitted their allegiances to the sovereignty of nationhood in exchange for the preservation of their rights, security, privileges and welfare, are disappointed by the same state who promised them the dividend of the social contract theory. This breach of the social contract theory by the government accounts for while many Nigerians see the country as a property of the elites, whose laws or orders should not apply to them. The government‘s breach of the trust the people repose in it is why people no longer believe in the concept of statehood and are gradually taking solace in their tribes and of course you know, that the tribe is a natural enemy of the state. This common insensitivity of government in managing the affairs of the state equitably is widening the class bracket and fuelling the flames of inequalities amongst us.
It is an established fact that government irresponsibility has made the people endangered species and this must be addressed post-COVID-19. Government must give the people a sense of belonging by making adequate provisions for the security and welfare of the people, bridge the gap that currently exist within the social class, provide employment and give Nigerians what they deserve as citizens. The country must build a system that runs on merit, where hardworking and ingenuity is rewarded. The educational sector must be overhauled to increase talent input and enhanced productivity. The economy of Nigeria must be manned by experts with economic recovery and developmental policies that will drive the Nigerian state into relevance in the scheme of things with international best practice.
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Nigeria After COVID-19 By Jideofor Adibe
COVID-19, a strain of Coronavirus, which the World Health Organisation declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, has been slow to take root in Africa but the number of cases is now growing. With about 1,500 people testing positive globally as of Wednesday April 8 2020 and some 83,000 deaths; Africa has a relatively low share of these figures – 10,712 infections and 533 deaths as at midday Nigerian time on April 8 2020. In Nigeria, the total number of confirmed cases was 305 and 7 deaths. In contrast, the total number of infections in the USA alone stood at 399,769 with fatalities of 12,906 during the same period.
Many people pray that the continent is spared the sort of gory stories and images we have seen in other countries – from China, Italy, Spain, Iran to USA. If, as some speculated, the continent’s hot and humid weather could be one of the reasons for the relatively low level of infections and fatality, many shudder what will happen as the rains approach in countries like Nigeria. The rainy season in many African countries means an increase in malaria cases, which, together with the high prevalence of other diseases like anaemia, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malnutrition, provide the underlying health conditions that expert say make infections with the virus deadly.
In addition to the above is the challenge of introducing preventive measures like social distancing in a continent where many people live in overcrowded accommodations and where social gatherings are critical aspects of the cultural milieu. Not surprising therefore attempts to enforce social distancing have led to violent protests in some places.
While the impact of the pandemic on health and healthcare seem quite obvious, there are speculations about the possible cascading impacts of the global lockdown spurred by the virus, especially if is sustained over the next couple of months.
One thing is certain: if the lockdowns persist over the next four months or so, many of the West’s top companies, already economically haemorrhaging from disruptions in supply chains and lack of customers, may go belly-up or become a shadow of their former selves – at least for a while- (if they are saved by their government’s life supports). If the pandemic pushes many Western countries into prolonged recession, it is still unclear whether such a scenario will automatically translate to economic power shifting towards China, (and probably also to Russia). The point is that while industrial production has substantially resumed in China (where the COVID-19 started), and the country is now ironically supplying the Western countries many of the equipment which they need in the fight against the virus (such as gowns, surgical masks and ventilators), growing anti-China sentiments may countervail any efforts by the country to leverage on the pandemic to maximize its economic power. Recently some prominent Nigerians called on the federal government to reject Chinese offer of medical assistance in the fight against the pandemic. In fact several conspiracy theories about the origin of COVID-19 which suggest it could have been a deliberate bioweapon by China in its trade war with the USA appear to have negatively affected the image of the country as a global manufacturing hub. Suspicions of China’s real motives in Africa, which have hitherto been nuanced and veiled in several countries, may become weaponised.
The image of the West, often seen in many parts of Africa as a land of greener pastures, has also taken a big hit by the way the pandemic completely demystified their technical prowess. In countries like Italy, Spain, Britain and the USA, panic buying of essentials like food and toiletries not only led to scarcities but also to rationing and to people literally fighting over these stuffs – as they do in Africa. Post COVID-19, we may witness reverse migrations of Africans from the various Western countries back to their home countries in Africa.
Will COVID-19 reset the world and people’s attitude to wealth and material things? In Nigeria, the virus equalized everyone: the rich are staying alone in their flashy mansions with no one to visit or genuflect to them, those with private jets cannot fly them and it is no longer status symbol to announce a vacation or medical tourism abroad. The poor have seen the rich brought to their level and things may no longer be the same – at least for a while after the pandemic. For instance, since the pandemic started, those who had spent time strategizing for 2023 have gone quiet. Sirens and vicious outriders no longer terrorize people on the streets. Feelings of foreboding have overtaken the land as no one knows what tomorrow holds. In fact with the pandemic, the common humanity of us all comes to the fore while cravings after material things seem to have receded to the background – at least for now.
How will the pandemic impact on our people’s attitude to religion and belief in God? This may not be straight forward: for some people, the pandemic, which came suddenly “like a thief in the night”, is a proof that the idea of apocalypse, (the end of the world) especially as espoused in the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) – is not theoretic – even if the pandemic does not presage it. For such people, that just one virus has been able to shut down civilizations and overwhelm world powers is evidence that God rules the world and will do with it whatever He wills. On the other hand, the fact that none of the great pastors and Imams foresaw the pandemic (and the respected Prophet TB Joshua who predicted it would end on March 27 was wide off mark) or offered to go and heal the afflicted in the epicentres of the crisis, raises questions about their claims to healing power. That churches and mosques were also forced to close as part of the social distancing to stop the spread is a temporal judgment that their prayers will not be sufficient to ward off mass infections and deaths from such gatherings. If the pandemic lasts a couple of months and the idea of worshiping at home with one’s family members or through live streaming takes hold, then our mega churches and mosques may have to find other uses for their massive structures.
Post COVID-19, while some people’s belief in God may increase there will be corresponding distrust of religion by others. Since nature abhors a vacuum, there is the possibility of millenarian or revivalist movements springing up to fill the vacuum left by the discrediting of religion. Such movements, which may actually include new forms of separatist movements and religious revivalism, will position themselves as solutions to the existentialist crisis many people will be enmeshed in.
How will the pandemic impact on our democracy? With oil price projected to fall to as low as $10 per barrel, there is no doubt that the country will face a period of dire economic straits. And in moments of economic hardship, societies in transition tend to relapse to their dictatorial past where repression is usually used to contain challenges to unpopular policies and expressions of frustrations over a harsher economic environment. I believe our democracy will come under intense stress post COVID-19.
Post COVID -19 world will also see an increasing rejection of the philosophy of globalization of markets as nationalism and micro-nationalism become the new normal. We saw, how with the pandemic, various countries quickly shut their borders and air spaces. The various states in the country also quickly banned inter-state travels.
If, as some people claim, oil is the glue that holds our country together (through elite consensus on primitive accumulation from the black gold), then a collapse in oil revenue will unravel that consensus, accentuating in the process separatist agitations that may be expressed through several forms and innuendos. However repudiation of globalization will also lead to the emergence of contrarian forces, driven by enlightened economic self-interest. For instance, as globalization of markets becomes repudiated, we may see various parts of the country emphasizing on their areas of comparative advantage as they seek internal markets for their goods and services as well as develop local supply chains. This could lead to greater regional economic complementarities because if the cocoa produced in the Southwest is needed in the Southeast to make beverages, and the tomatoes produced in the North are needed in the manufacture of tomato pastes in the South-west, enlightened economic self-interest will lead to the emergence of new forces of unity as counterforce to the centrifugal forces of separatism and millenarian movements.
If lectures in higher institutions of learning in a post COVID-19 world will increasingly be delivered through various videoconferencing apps, how will most African educational institutions cope? Things do not look pretty for our education sector – at least in the short to medium terms – if the chaos at our Open University is an indication of things to come. A consolation however is that the mainstreaming of this new mode of teaching may also spur new innovations that can help ameliorate the challenges.
Email: pcjadibe@yahoo.com
Twitter: @JideoforAdibeTel: 07058078841 (text only)
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COVID-19: Numbers This week: How Has Nigeria Fared?
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As of April 9, Nigeria has 288 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, a 55 per cent increase in the figure recorded at the end previous week (April 2).
There has been a moderate increase in confirmed cases recorded in the country and this is as a result of the low testing carried out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the agency at the frontline of battling the virus in the country.
In the last week, the agency has come under intense pressure due to perceived refusal to test average Nigerians with priority given to influential individuals or politicians.
This has also been fuelled by the decision of the agency to stop updating the number of screening and tests it has carried out.
There have been an additional 104 cases in the last one week spread across Lagos, Edo, Osun, Ondo Oyo, Kaduna, Kwara, Rivers, Delta, Katsina, Bauchi States and the Federal Capital Territory.
Of the 104 cases, Lagos recorded the highest number with 60 cases followed by FCT that has 16 cases and Edo with eight cases.
Other cases were recorded in Osun, six cases; Oyo and Bauchi with three cases each; Kwara and Delta have two cases each while Kaduna, Ondo, Rivers and Katsina all had single case each.
While states like Edo, Katsina and Kwara recorded their first cases, other states with high cases enforced lockdown and restriction of movements in a bid to curtail the further spread of the virus.
In enforcing the order, Lagos and Ogun governments began the sharing of relief materials to cushion the effect of the lockdown.
However, in what seems like a reckless move, some state government are beginning to relax the ban on large gatherings.
While these states have only recorded few cases, there exists a fear that the lifting of the ban on social gatherings could lead to the spread of the virus.
The Nigerian Government approved the move for 15 Chinese doctors to be brought into the country to fasten the process of fighting the virus in the country.
The 15 personnel were shipped into the country by and through the singular efforts of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
The medical personnel would be training health workers at the frontline of the battle against COVID-19 and also oversee activities of the health workers.
In preparation for a possible influx of infected persons, the NCDC is overseeing the setting up of new COVID-19 isolation centres.
The agency has also increased the number of tests done in Lagos and Abuja to 2,000 and 1,000 respectively.
On the bright side, over 58 persons have so far been discharged from isolation centres in different parts of the country.
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COVID-19: Ondo Governor, Akeredolu, Cancels Easter Celebration In Churches
Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has cancelled the waiver earlier given to Christians in the state to celebrate this year’s Easter in churches.
Commissioner for Information in the state, Donald Ojogo, made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday in Akure.
Akeredolu had on Wednesday given Christians in the state permission to celebrate Easter in churches.
The reversal of the directive came shortly after the second Coronavirus case was confirmed in Ondo.
The statement reads, “The state government notes with deep concern the second index case. This development has once again reinforced the need to deepen our collective efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Ondo State COVID-19 Response Team has reported that the second index case having travelled from Lagos to Ondo State must give the government greater concern to avoid community transmission.
“Against the backdrop of the above, the Ondo State Government has directed the cancellation of the special concession granted churches across the state to celebrate the Easter Sunday service.
“This decision was taken after due consultations with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“All measures and steps taken in respect of COVID-19 still remain in force.”
Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria in the state, Ayo Oladapo, has asked Christians to hold the Easter service in their homes to help stop the spread of the virus.
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After Chadian Offensive On Boko Haram, Nigeria’s Army Chief, Buratai, Relocates To Borno
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff has “relocated fully” to the North-East where he will oversee an operation against Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram.
The move came after a widely publicised and praised offensive against the terrorists on the banks of Lake Chad led by Chadian President, Idriss Deby.
The Nigerian Army made the announcement on Friday, adding that Buratai will join troops on the ground for patrol.
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The statement reads, “Gen TY Buratai has relocated fully to the North East where he is overseeing and directing the overall operation in the theatre and other Nigerian Army operations across the country.
“While addressing troops of Special Super Camp Ngamdu in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State on 9 April 2020, Gen Buratai said that he will be with them to the nooks and crannies of the theatre.
“It will be recalled that we earlier reported that the COAS had been on operational tour to troops’ locations in the North East Theatre of Operation since Saturday the 4th of April, 2020.
“During the tour, he was at the Army Super Camp 1 at Mulai and the Special Forces Super Camp 12 at Chabbol near Maiduguri on Wednesday 8 April, 2020 where he interacted with the officers and addressed the troops respectively.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to reassure Nigerians that it is highly committed to protecting all law-abiding citizens and defending our territorial integrity.
“Members of the public are requested to note that there is no form of insecurity that cannot be surmounted, and the Boko Haram/ISWAP’s terrorism will also end in the nearest future.”
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