The cases of COVID-19 infections are gradually increasing by the day across Nigeria. Unfortunately, the residents of Abuja are still living a carefree life as a result of their doubts about the existence of the disease. REGINA OTOKPA reports
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esidents of Kubwa, a suburb in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), woke up recently to a tweet from renowned investigator, Fisayo Soyombo, announcing a suspected COVID-19 (Coronavirus) death in a house within the ever busy and sprawling suburb of Abuja.
With three confirmed COVID-19 deaths same day, tens of thousands of residents in Kubwa could be at risk if it is true a death occurred in the suburb and if efficient contact tracing is not immediately carried out to forestall a possible spread as quickly as possible.
This is because majority of the residents believe COVID-19 is not in the country and as such, have opted to flout all established COVID-19 guidelines, especially social distancing, lockdown directives and mass gatherings.
INSIDE ABUJA checks revealed that all shopping malls except one, were not effecting the social distancing rule. They were all crowded with customers scrambling to purchase essential goods for themselves and their families. Only a very few had hand sanitisers at their entrances and none had a hand washing facility or temperature scanner.
The situation at the Maitama Ultra-modern Market in Kubwa was even worse. The crowd was so massive that traders and customers were pressing against each other, talking and screaming into each other’s faces without reasoning that COVID-19 was transmitted through droplets from the nose or mouth.
Although few persons wore face masks and others, hand gloves combined, majority didn’t and were very careless while frantically trying to haggle to cut down the exorbitant prices of food stuffs and other essential items whose prices have risen a result of the virus and the lockdown .
As at 2:50 pm when a combination of security operatives drawn from the Federal Road Safety Corps, sanitation officers, the regular police, mobile police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, alongside some thugs stormed the market to disperse everyone back to their homes, they could achieve little or nothing.
Although they succeeded in chasing everyone out of the main market and locked it, they were unable to totally stop the transactions outside, which is originally more than the one in the main market.
After driving back and forth, threatening traders and customers for about one hour, they eventually drove off, having failed in their task.
This was not peculiar to Kubwa alone, as the markets in other parts of FCT were equally over crowded, without any regard for social distancing.
INSIDE ABUJA also uncovered that beer parlours were still operating in a coded manner- music is not played, only few lights are put on and those with gates only opened up to those they know.
At the popular Yellow Page joint, a few persons were seen still selling drinks, with a few selling roasted tilapia or cat fish delicacies.
The suya joints were still very much in business. However, the crowd witnessed at some snack shops and eateries was alarming, even as butcher spots and the abattoirs have continued to carry on as if nothing ever happened.
Although the FCT administration had authorised markets to open thrice a week – Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 7am to 2pm, this directive is not working as evacuating the market once the time elapses is a major challenge.
From the few interactions INSIDE ABUJA had with residents, it was evident the Federal Government and the FCTA have a huge task ahead of them convincing people to stay indoors.
According to Okeimute Joyce, COVID-19 was another scam by government to further fleece the nation of millions of naira for their selfish interest.
“There is no coronavirus. These people are just using our head. They want to milk us dry of our resources. Coronavirus cannot affect (us) Nigerians because our blood and immunity are very strong.
“They should just leave so that we can continue to buy our foodstuffs in peace. All this thing is just busy body for all I care. I don’t believe them and I will never believe them a bit. They should just allow us buy our things in peace,” she said.
One of the traders, Akabueze Collins, was angry that he had lost the customers he was trying to attend to when the team of security operatives stormed the market.
“What is wrong with these people? There is no Coronavirus in Nigeria. Please government should allow us o! We need to sell, we need to eat. Will I go and steal money? Government promised to give us foodstuffs but we have not seen it. So, nobody should ask me to lock up and go home because I have mouths to feed,” he said.
At one of the beer parlours, Margaret and her friend Dan, also accused government of issuing a lockdown order only because other countries were doing same.
“We need to stop fooling ourselves; there is no coronavirus in Nigeria. Can you see the numbers they are calling? Check all the countries and see very high numbers. I’m missing my beer and as you can see, I don’t joke with my beer. Government is only wasting its time,” Dan said.
It’s really saddening that some Nigerians still think coronavirus is a joke despite the havoc it’s causing worldwide. For some Nigerians, it’s an opportunity to get free lunch as seen in the various calls to the COVID-19 toll-free lines asking for food and money.
With the numbers increasing by the day, there are fears that COVID-19 could overwhelm Nigeria given its weak health structure. The deaths presently being witnessed in the United States and the United Kingdom could become a child’s play given the mindset of Nigerians, their carefree attitude and their way of life.
