Extention of Covid-19 Lockdown: We Are Abandoned Like Lamb Toto Slaugher-FCT Residents

Joel Ajayi

The 14 days extention of lockdown, announced by the President Muhammadu Buhari  came as a shock to many  resident in FCT,  as they pointed  accusing finger to the government of abanoning them like the lamb set aside to be slaugher.

On Monday evening, during the presidential broadcast by the President Buhari asked the residents of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory to stay at home for another fourteen days starting from Monday 13th April 2020, after the initial 14-day lockdown.

Buhari said that the decision was taken in order to curtail the spread of coronavirus disease in the country.

Proclaimation that did not go down well with many citizen especially the down troden people in the Capital City of Nigeria.

According to President, Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps – First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners.

“This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear.

“No country can afford the full impact of a sustained restriction of movement on its economy. I am fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage such as traders, dayworkers, artisans and manual workers.

“In the coming weeks, I want to assure you that the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force, will do whatever it takes to support you in this very difficult period. I have no doubt that, by working together and carefully following the rules, we shall get over this pandemic.

“In the past two weeks, we announced palliative measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of our restrictive policies during this difficult time. These palliatives will be sustained.

“I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment program.”

However, the Direcor-General of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus,  advised the governments of developing countries imposing lockdown restrictions to their citizens to provide palliatives for their citizens to enable them to comply.

Ghebreyesus, asked?  ‘How do you survive on lockdown when you depend on your daily labor to eat?”

Ghebreyesus said he was aware some governments were trying to impose, extend and lift restrictions but added that it should not be at the expense of human rights.

He also said that for countries with large poor populations, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the stay-at-home order used in some high income countries may not be practicable.

“News reports from around the world describes how many people are in danger of being left without access to food.

“We also call on all countries to ensure that where lockdown measures are used, they must not be at the expense of human rights. Each Government must assist their situation while protecting all their citizens, especially the most vulnerable,” he said.

Meanwhile, the percentage of palliative given to residents of the three affected states was nothing to write home about.

Resident lamented said expansion of social register to 3.6m household is a far cry to realities of the poor and families rendered vulnerable because of the lockdown.

The Gleamer News who went round the city on Tuesday to feel the pulse of the citizens reported that its galore of lamentations from one resident to another.

At the Durumi  Mr. Sunday Adelaja, a Carpental said since the inception of the first lockdown in FCT, it had been practically difficult for him to afford three square meal for his family talkless of catering for the domestic demands and this is the second one, another two weeks, its going to be weeks of suffering pain and agony for me because i dont even have money to buy food, as you see me like this i am like a lamb taken to slaughter.

According to him, Nigerian government is not reasonable. The masses are hungry indoors: no food, no money.

“The nature of our job is such that, our daily bread depends on what we get daily at our places of work as the popular saying connotes.

“This government has failed, my prayer is for God to intervene and end this sickness for us, its no longer funny, God we bank on you come and help us.” He groaned.

Another resident identified as Anita Bassey a resident of Wuse zone 6 expressed: “We are subjected to untold hardship because there are no basic necessities of life at home yet the government wants us to remain at home for another 14 days” he lamented.

An hungry Ibrahim Sanusi at Area 10 market, a Shoe Maker said I have not eating since yesterday, I dont have money, no customer, people dont come out, Ya Allah come and resue us.”

When asked if he has not recieve palliative from government, he replied: “nothing like that people like me and my colleagues dont hear anything like that because they would have inform me. If you know where there they giving it please let me know I will rush to the place.” He begged.

Also, some Nigerians took to their social media pages, asking that each person should receive at least N20,000 from all the billion naira donations, with a hashtag ‘pay us via BVN’ which is the number one trend on Twitter.

@yemihazan ”Namibia government has started transferring money to it’s citizens bank accounts & every other means employable.. We have the money, resources and a good amount of donations.. we can’t go another 14 days in emptiness !pay us via BVN.”

@Dannywalter” Buhari, People are robbing in Ejigbo and everywhere in Lagos and Ogun state, this may end or reduce if only you can pay us via BVN. We have BVNs sir.”

@Joshua_ubeku ”We no longer have money. We no longer have food. We can’t be at home and eat nothing. Pay us via BVN or else hunger will kill us before coronavirus! Mbuhari, pay us via BVN.”

@von_bismack” Government introduced a Cashless policy and also initiated Verification of account number through BVN to curb criminality and corruption, but now,the govt have decided that paying through BVN is too transparent for them.pay us via BVN.”

@the_izuchukwu”If NCDC can send us unsolicited text everyday, why can’t the Federal Government pay the relief funds directly to our accounts?pay us via BVN.”

@fumatic”About time they explain to us the reason they have our BVN and can’t send us money through the BVN. pay us via BVN.”

@shadduy”We don’t have a president. Buhari doesn’t care about his country and it’s citizens! Our leaders are useless and incompetent! This lockdown is about to turn to the purge.pay us via BVN.”

@ femillionaire”All of a sudden, our BVN is becoming obsolete to the Govt but na lie una dey lie. This is the reason why you pushed us to have BVN but you didn’t know it. So now the time has come for its usefulness. pay us via BVN.

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