… New fatalities reported in past few days, bringing total body count so far to 23 and about 500 displaced

… Salvage work and clearance underway, but massive destruction defies easy solution

… State government sets up relief fund, but reconstruction may be hampered by conflict over occupancy rights

By Chudi Okoye with Philip Nwosu and Stella Nzekwe contributing field reports

They are still counting the bodies in Abule Ado even one week after the devastating explosion. Every so often another unforeseen fatality would be reported, adding to the body count from the bolt of explosion that jolted Abule Ado, a community in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria.

On the day of the incident, Sunday March 15^th, 2020, an Awka Times reporter who was at the scene had counted no fewer than 17 corpses being evacuated from the rubble. In the succeeding days, the body count had gradually increased, rising to 22 by Friday March 20^th when the Director-General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that another body had been recovered from the rubble.

And then on Saturday March 21st, there was yet another fatality. LASEMA’s Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu, in a press statement said that the latest casualty, a female victim, had died at the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, where she had been receiving treatment. The latest fallen victim brought the total figure of fatalities to 23. It is unclear if this will be the final tally in the morbid arithmetic of death from the Sunday morning explosion seven days ago.

The circumstances surrounding some of the casualties are particularly depressing. There is the story of the well-loved administrator of Bethlehem Girls College, Rev. Sister Henrietta Alokha SSH, who died along with a female security staff, in the midst of a heroic effort, as the first casualties in the school. The school is considered one of the worst hit establishments in the blast. The reverend sister had died having plunged back into a collapsing building to find a couple of students who were missing from the crush she had rounded up in her rescue effort.

▲Late Rev. Sister Henrietta Alokha, SSH

The explosion had occurred with the students gathered in the school refectory for the 9 a.m. mass which had just started. A witness told Awka Times that shortly after service had started a deafening explosion rent through the refectory which sent the students scampering, in dazed confusion. However, according to the witness, the school principal, the late Rev. Sister Henrietta Alokha, was able to rally about 300 students and shepherded them towards a school fence where they used an improvised ladder to climb over to safety. The students were shaken up but safe, thanks to the selfless reverend sister who lost her life trying to save the children.

Late Rev. Sister Henrietta Alokha was a native of Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, Catholic Diocese of Auchi. Born on May 11^th, 1967, she made her First Religious Profession of Vows on August 23^rd, 1987 and her Perpetual Profession of Vows on November 12^th, 1995.  She celebrated her Silver Jubilee on November 3, 2014. Arrangements are being finalized for her funeral on March 25^th and 26^th.

Three other school staff were later reported dead, trapped in the school’s staff quarters that lay in ruins, according to the Director of Education of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor Jerome Odutan.

Apart from the school casualties, Awka Times also learned of a family of three – a couple and their son – driving to church whose car was blown apart in the explosion. All three were killed in the instant.

There is also the story of another victim, a man who according to witnesses usually attended mid-morning mass but who decided on that fateful day to switch to the early morning service. He had just returned from service with his wife and was settling down at home when the blast occurred. It is reported that the foundation of the man’s building shook so violently that the walls started to cave in. As the man tried to run out of the building with his wife a wall collapsed on them, killing them instantly. The deadly blast occurred at a time, by his usual routine, that the victim would have been at his church.

Meanwhile, emergency workers are still searching for a man, declared missing by family members three days after the massive explosion. He is now presumed dead and a search is on for his body.

Trail of Destruction

A week out from the day of the catastrophic explosion, the scene of wreckage remains mind-numbing. Even as dust from the rubble settles, one can still hear anguished cries with some confused residents returning to the wreckage and picking through the rubble to see what they can salvage. But there is hardly any silver lining, hardly much to recover from such gruesome damage.

Littered everywhere are personal belongings, mementos of personal lives lying in tatters. All around there is debris from collapsed buildings and other structures, blown rooftops, mangled vehicles, cratered pavements etc. It looks for all the world like the site of a bomb explosion – a massive detonation at that. And this is precisely what informal local opinion insists on: that this was unquestionably a bomb explosion, and not devastation from gas depot explosion or an oil pipeline explosion, as other official and unofficial explanations would have it.

▲Wreckage from the Lagos explosion

The precise nature and cause of the explosion is still being investigated. But the result is all too real.

At what was said to be the epicenter of the incident, fire was still smouldering several days after the explosion, with isolated tongues of flame glowing at the scene and palls of thick smoke billowing into the sky. No fewer than 10 fire trucks had been seen at the scene by 7 p.m. on that fateful Sunday, but several days afterwards, they were still struggling to overmaster the flare and the air pollution.

A week on from the massive explosion, the grim physics of the damage remains very much in evidence. Debris from physical damage are still piled high, a forbidding heap still undented even with determined effort. It is estimated that over 50 buildings collapsed in the explosion. Among the worst-hit were the buildings in Bethlehem Girls College, a school owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.

Even survivors of the explosion have a grim story to tell about their experience on that ill-fated day. One such victim, Mr. Caleb Nwachukwu, a resident of Abule Ado, recounts his experience: “It was like the beginning of the end, as I sat in my living room watching television with my family. We [had] just returned from 6 a.m. mass, then suddenly there was a blast that threw all of us off balance and relocated us to different places. But thank God Almighty we only sustained minor injuries.”

Mr. Nwachukwu said that all his properties were destroyed, including television and furniture, as the impact of the explosion went through their apartment like a hurricane, smashing windows, doors, iron railings and even burglar bars.

Caleb Nwachukwu’s experience, frightful and traumatic as it must have been, pales in comparison to the devastation at Bethlehem Girls College. The explosion had torn through several of the school’s structures, leaving a trail of destruction. The administrative block, the chapel which was still under construction, the staff residence, the dormitory and the grotto – all ripped apart in the fiery devastation. A tally of the destruction at the school is only just beginning to be carried out.

Apart from institutional losses, individual residents incurred unimaginable losses as well. One affected landlord, Chief Emmanuel Ume, said that he had lost two duplexes, a luxury hair salon and a sewing factory in the conflagration.

Narrating how he escaped death, Ume said: “I had gone to church with my family that Sunday morning and that was what saved me. When we got back, we discovered that we had lost everything. What I and my family are left with are the clothes we wore to church. We want the government to come to our aid.”

State Government Rescue Effort

The Lagos State government is working frantically to salvage the situation. Briefing journalists on rescue efforts a few days after the explosion, LASEMA Director-General, Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu, had said there was a total of 276 persons displaced as a result of the explosion. But as of Saturday March 21^st, the number of displaced persons had risen to 500, according to Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu. The LASEMA DG disclosed that about 100 of the displaced persons were being accommodated in the LASEMA relief camp at Igando, in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

▲LASEMA Director-General, Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu

In his press briefing days before, Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu had said that 57 of the victims who were trapped under the rubble had been rescued, 47 of whom were assessed at various hospitals and discharged. Ten of the rescued victims were said at the time to be receiving treatment for minor and major injuries. Among the three with severe injuries, Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu said, “one is on admission at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, another is being treated at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Ojo, and the third is at Gold Treat Hospital.”

Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu also gave the tally of damaged properties.

“A total of… 93 houses were damaged out of which 44 were mildly damaged, [while] 49 were severely damaged. 40 cars and three articulated vehicles were destroyed, seven schools were destroyed, three churches, one hotel, and one shopping complex were also destroyed.”

Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that a committee had been set up by the governor of Lagos State, headed by the state deputy governor, to coordinate rescue and relief efforts. He also announced that a relief camp had been established.

The Lagos State governor himself, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced later that a relief fund of ₦2 billion had been set up and that the state government was depositing ₦200 million immediately into the account. He said that he was also reaching out to other state governors and the private sector to assist.

Federal Complication

Meanwhile, there appears to be an emerging controversy over the ownership of land in the affected area. The acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Umar Saliu Buntu, who visited to inspect the site of the explosion and to commiserate with the victims, took the time to warn that the federal government had long acquired much of the area, saying that many of the residents might be illegal occupants encroaching into federal government land. H said that the federal government would initiate plans to retake the area in question.

However, in a riposte to the FHA’s claim, a traditional ruler in the area, the Baale of Soba, Chief Raheem Agbebeji, insisted that the portions of land in question were community-owned. The traditional ruler first sough to clarify media reporting that the March 15^th explosion occurred in Abule Ado. He said that the explosion actually occurred in Soba town and not in Abule Ado. “Soba Community is a distinct and different community from Abule Ado, though they share a common boundary,” the traditional ruler noted.

In a press statement issued by his spokesman in response to the FHA’s claim of federal ownership, the monarch said that “Soba is not an illegal community.” He said archival documents would show that the community had been in existence for over 300 years, and insisted that the community would assert its right of ownership.

Landlords and residents in the area are backing up the Baale’s stance. The chairman of Landlords/Residents Association of Soba, Chief Gani Adams, told newsmen recently that the landlords of Soba had legal documents and that even before the incident the landlords had been communicating with the FHA to secure certificates of occupancy in the area.

▲Representatives of Landlords/Residents Association of Soba, Lagos 

Speaking through a representative, the leader of the landlords said: “Some of us have been here for over two or three decades, and we have met FHA on several occasions. They have our master plan and survey plan, and they know we are living here. We are not aliens and we have been working hand in hand with them. We are not illegal occupants. Our documents are intact. They even delineated this place to us. They know we are here.”

It seems the land ownership issue is quite confused. But the FHA boss, Umar Buntu, whilst insisting that “the [federal] government is coming back to take charge”, also indicated that the state and federal authorities would work together “to sanitize this place”, with proper investigations carried out before decisions are taken. Chief Emmanuel Ume, one of the residents who said he lost a lot of property in the area, advised the federal government to tread with caution as a takeover of the affected areas may do more harm to victims.

Amid the daunting task of rescue and rehabilitation, a disagreement over land ownership is emerging. Added to all this is a severe disagreement over just what happened on the morning of March 15^th, 2020. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), through its Group Managing Director of NNPC Mr. Mele Kyari, claims that the blast was caused by some gas depots operating close to the pipeline right of way. But some residents blame the NNPC which they say did not lay its pipes deep enough into the ground. Other residents assert a more dramatic explanation, insisting that the explosion was a bomb blast. The chairman of the Soba landlords association, Chief Gani Adams, said that his group was “convinced that it was a bomb detonated on the pipeline which caused the unprecedented blast and damage to lives and properties.”

With disagreement over the cause of the explosion, with a massive rehabilitation and reconstruction work ahead, and with dispute over land ownership in the area, it may be a long time before any semblance of normalcy is restored to these devastated lives and these devastated areas of Lagos State.

… Follows example of other African countries

… Schools, public events and gatherings begin to be shuttered

… ANSG launches sensitization, bans public assembly from 23^rd March

… CBN cuts interest rate and will inject ₦1 trillion into economy

By Chudi Okoye and Stella Nzekwe

Out of an abundance of caution, Nigeria is placing travel restrictions, starting Saturday 21 March 2020, on travellers from 13 countries with high incidence of coronavirus afflictions.

The restricted originations include some of the world’s largest economies which are currently clobbered by high levels of coronavirus exposure: United States, China, Iran, South Korea, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, France and Japan.

Nigeria also announced a temporary suspension of its visa-on-arrival policy.

These decisions came as Nigeria announced five new cases of coronavirus as of 18^th March which brought the official total to eight. The latest announced cases include a 30 year-old female that flew back from the United Kingdom on 13^th March who observed self-isolation when she tested positive. She is now receiving treatment at Mainland General Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.

Africa Responds

With its announced travel restrictions, Nigeria is following the precedence of some other African countries which had earlier imposed inbound restrictions against the countries most exposed to the coronavirus disease. Although the African incidence level is beginning to rise, the continent seems so far spared the most pernicious scourge of the strange virus. A few reasons have been adduced for the seeming low incidence of coronavirus in Africa and elsewhere. These include weak travel connections to the originating centres of the virus and local climate conditions. There has been some skepticism about the quality of screening and even the authenticity of reporting coming out of Africa and other areas with low incidence of local transmissions. But it is unclear if this is genuine scientific concern or merely prejudiced bafflement. Be that as it may, continental officials are beginning to ramp up on containment measures to prevent an insidious spread, including the imposition of travel restrictions and other stringent measures.

From Tunisia to Sudan to Egypt in North Africa all the way down to South Africa, African countries are taking any combination of the following measures: suspension of some or all international flights, closure of territorial borders, social distancing including closure of public institutions, restriction of public gatherings, and even night-time curfew.

Countries like Kenya have banned inbound travellers from countries reporting any case of coronavirus, not just travellers from high-risk origins. Some African countries have already declared a national emergency, similar to the steps taken in some high-risk countries outside the African continent.

On Sunday, 15^th March, the South African head of state, Cyril Ramaphosa, projecting poise and presidential aplomb, addressed his country for about 20 minutes on the pandemic, announcing that his government was declaring a “national state of disaster”. He laid out the steps his government was taking to contain the spread of the virus in his country.

▲ South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa

Nigeria Follows Suit

The president of Nigeria, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, has yet to address the country on the scare of coronavirus. The Nigerian head of state has however set up a Presidential Task Force (PTF), inaugurated on 17^th March, to manage government response. The PTF immediately announced a ban on all forms of travels by public officers and civil servants until further notice. The next day, 18^th March, saying that it had further assessed the global situation, the PTF announced the following measures:

• “The Federal Government of Nigeria is restricting entry into the country for travellers from the following thirteen (13) countries; China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Switzerland. These are all countries with over 1,000 [coronavirus] case domestically;”

• “All persons arriving in Nigeria who might have visited these countries, often days prior to such arrival, will be subjected to supervised self-isolation and testing for 14 days;”

• “The Federal Government is temporarily suspending the issuance of all visas on arrival;”

• “The Federal Government is also counseling all Nigerians to cancel or postpone all non-essential travels to these countries; and”

• “The Federal Government urges Public Health Authorities of countries with high burden to conduct diligent departure screening of passengers and also endorses this travel advisories to their nationals to postpone travels to Nigeria.”

These restrictions will be in force for four weeks beginning 21^st March, subject to review, the PTF assured.

The measures so far floated by Nigeria appear less emphatic than what obtains in some other African countries. Djibouti, with no reported coronavirus case so far, has suspended all international flights to the country, according to its US embassy. Morocco too has suspended all international flights “until further notice”; while Ghana, according to the country’s Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said that all travel into the country “is strongly discouraged at this point in time.”

WHO’s Assessment and Pandemic History

Nigeria’s cautiousness might not be unconnected with the advice given by the World Health Organization (WHO) which is urging countries not to apply impulsive travel restrictions in a way that would impact trade and travel.

It will be recalled that WHO had on 11^th March declared coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic which, unlike an outbreak or an epidemic, means that the virus is spreading across countries and continents and affects large chunks of transnational populations. In the realm of infectious diseases, a pandemic is the worst case scenario.

According to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the 55 year-old Ethiopian academic who heads WHO as Director General, “we have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.” The director called on countries to act together to combat a common threat and to learn from one another’s containment and attenuation successes. He urged countries to “find, isolate, test and treat every case and trace every contact.” Dr. Tedros added: “Ready your hospitals. Protect and train your health workers. Let’s all look out for each other because we are in this together to do the right thing with calm and to protect the citizens of the world.”

The WHO director noted that “although this is the first pandemic caused by coronavirus, we also believe that this is the first pandemic that is able to be controlled.”

World history is dotted with pandemic outbreaks. According to the website of the TV network, History, the earliest recorded pandemic happened during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) between Athens and Sparta, with an outbreak of typhoid fever which had spread from Libya, Ethiopia and Egypt into Athens around 430 BC.

According to the public health resource, MHP Online and also the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the pandemics in world history with the greatest fatalities include: the bubonic plague of 541-542 with a death toll of 25 million; another bubonic plague, the Black Death, occurring in 1346-1353 which originated in Asia but reached Europe and Africa, killing about 75 to 200 million people (wiping out, according to some estimates, as much as one-third of the world population); the 1918 pandemic (H1N1 virus) known as Spanish Flu, theorized to have originated from China (like the current coronavirus), which ultimately claimed an estimated 50 million lives; and HIV/AIDS, first observed in American gay communities in 1981, which to date has claimed an estimated 36 million lives.

There have been several other pandemics, among them: the Antonine Plague of 165 AD bearing what was thought to be smallpox or measles; the leprosy outbreak that grew into a pandemic in Europe in 11th century; the Russian Flu of 1889-1890; the Indian cholera pandemics of 1852–1860 and later 1910-1911; the Asian Flu of 1956-1958; and the Hong Kong Flu of 1968.

The above shows that coronavirus does have a long line of preceding pandemics. The world’s last known pandemic broke out in June 2009 when WHO declared H1N1 (swine flu) a pandemic. That case lasted for over a year, with a “post-pandemic period” announced by August 2010.

Specific Adjustments

The trajectory for the current pandemic, coronavirus, is still steeply upward. WHO warns that “in the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see many cases, many deaths and the number of affected countries climb even higher.” WHO’s director, Tedros, says the organization is “deeply concerned… by the alarming levels of spread and severity…” In response, perhaps, to WHO’s warning, across nations furious efforts are underway to “flatten the curve” of escalation. In Africa too, where it seems the curve of escalation is less steep, containment measures are being mounted in addition to the travel restrictions.

In Nigeria, social distancing measures, already widespread in more afflicted environs, are slowly being put into place. A growing number of public events are being cancelled. For instance, the management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has cancelled the Batch A orientation programme for students across the country. The camps which started on 10^th March were supposed to last for 21 days. Corps members in the camps were, however, informed on 18^th March that the camps were being closed and that they would receive posting letters to proceed to their places of primary assignment. The corps members said they were told this was due to the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier, the Nigerian federal government had approved the postponement of the 20th National Sports Festival which had been due to start this weekend in Benin City, Edo State. The Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, made the announcement on Tuesday 17 March 2020.

Several other public institutions may become candidates of social distancing measures.

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) offers guidelines for self-isolation and preventive measures which consist largely in practicing personal hygiene. The Presidential Task Force (PTF), in its public briefing, also issued a practical advisory with a To-Do list for Nigerians:

• Stock up on essentials  – food , water, tissues, fruits, sanitizers, handwash, disinfectant

• Avoid frivolous spending

• Practice good personal hygiene and avoid crowded areas

• Where possible limit physical meetings: use virtual meeting tools (email, Skype or phone)

• Drink plenty of fluids, get a lot of rest and sleep as much as possible

• Make sure surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) are regularly wiped with disinfectant

• Wash hands with soap and running water when hands are visibly dirty

• Boost immune system: Take vitamin C –  particularly oranges.

Sensitization in Anambra State

At a local level, the Anambra State Ministry of Information and Public Enlightenment has embarked on an enlightenment campaign taken to public places to provide awareness about coronavirus as well as the lassa fever pandemic.

Earlier, on Friday, 6^th March, the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, led a sensitization campaign team to New Tyre Market, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area. The commissioner said that the enlightenment campaign was part of the state government’s concern to protect the health of its people. He stressed that although Anambra State remained free of lassa virus and coronavirus, “we are [working] with development partners to strengthen proactive measures against the two viruses in the state. As such, we are here to sensitize traders and tyre vendors on precautionary measures in order to avoid the risk of the diseases in the state.”

The state government plans to carry that message across communities in Anambra State.

▲ Anambra State Gov., Willie Obiano

In a statement issued on 19 March 2020, the governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, provided the following public health advisory on coronavirus Ndi Anambra:

• Assembly: All public gathering is banned ‪from 23rd March 2020 until further notice

• Markets: Traders and market goers should wash their hands frequently, use sanitizers, avoid handshaking and hugging, keep 6ft distance between customers and traders. Market leaders to buy infrared thermometer to test suspect cases

• Education: Students of Anambra tertiary institutions must proceed on vacation effective 20th of March 2020 until further notice. All primary and secondary schools in Anambra State must go on indefinite vacation effective 27th March 2020. Until then, all inter-house sports competitions are by suspended until further notice. School management to implement strict hand washing policy. Schools management should take the temperature of their day and boarding students at least once every day. Temperatures above 37.9 degrees Celsius must be reported to the nearest hospital.

• Residents: All residents in Anambra State advised to avoid handshaking, hugging and all other forms of contact salutation. Avoid unnecessary travels. Keep reasonable social distance. All residents returning from countries and states with active COVID-19 cases must self-isolate for 14-days, taking temperatures twice daily, and contact the Anambra state Public Health Emergency Operation Center immediately (PHEOC numbers are ‪080309531; 08145434416; 0810446408).

• Hotels, eateries and nightclubs: All hotels must provide a handwash station and sanitizers. Guests are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds. Hotel management to take temperature of guests and visitors with a non-contact infra-red thermometer. Temperatures over 37.9 degrees Centigrade must be reported to the PHEOC. Hotels, restaurants and nightclubs to check temperature of all their staff on daily basis, with those exceeding 37.9 degrees Centigrade taken to hospital. Restaurants must avoid overcrowding patrons at the table. Hotels are encouraged to maintain a database of their guests.

• Buses: Owners and operators of long-distance luxurious buses and intrastate buses to maintain inbound and outbound travel manifest, provide hand wash stations and provide hand sanitizers in their buses for passengers who must wash hands regularly.

As World Markets Tumble, CBN Reacts

Whilst healthcare measures are slowly being rolled out at national and subnational levels to mitigate the impact of coronavirus, policy measures are also being introduced to mitigate the economic impact. The economic consequences of coronavirus are already manifesting across the world. Business contraction is leading to widespread layoffs. Major global stock markets are tumbling. For instance, amid wild swings in recent trading, the United States Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped a whopping 32%, from 29,343 as at 19 February 2020 to 19,898 by 17 March 2020. On a number of occasions during this wild trading period, the automatic circuit breaker was triggered causing regulators to stop trading to avert the dangerous trends. A deep recession is now widely expected, and authorities are scrambling to design alleviative measures, including bail-out for companies and cash payments to stricken families.

Regulatory intervention is also afoot in Nigeria. On Wednesday, 18^th March, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, announced at a press briefing in Abuja that CBN will inject ₦1 trillion into critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. The package will include ₦100 billion in loan facility to support health authorities, helping to ensure laboratories, researchers and innovators are able to work with global scientists to patent and produce vaccines and test kits in Nigeria to prepare for any major crises ahead.

▲ CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele

The CBN had earlier, on 16^th March, announced the slashing of interests rate on its intervention loans from 9% to 5%, as well as an extension of moratorium from one to two years, to buffer the Nigerian economy. The apex bank had said that the measures were the first set of its elaborate responses to combat the coronavirus crisis.

In his briefing on CBN plans, the governor, Mr. Emefiele, had said:

“The Coronavirus pandemic is having consequences for both the global and the Nigerian economies. It has already led to unprecedented disruptions in global supply chains, sharp reduction in crude oil prices, turmoil in the global stock and financial markets, wide spread cancellations in sporting, entertainment and business events, lockdown of large source of movement of persons, in many countries and intercontinental travel restrictions across critical air routes across the world.

“These outcomes have had adverse effects for key sector including oil and gas, airlines, manufacturing, trade and consumer markets.

“In furtherance of its financial systems stability mandate, the CBN is committed to providing support for affected households, businesses, regulated financial institutions and other stakeholders in order to cushion the adverse economic consequences of this pandemic on our people.”

From its healthcare providers and researchers to government agencies, corporate entities, civic groups and families, Nigeria – though yet to be formally addressed by its seemingly hebetudinous president – is slowly joining a world frantically groping for solutions to combat an insidious pandemic. The current outbreak, like its historical predecessors, is certain to cause long-term changes in society and economy. How much pain these changes induce, and how fast the pain will reduce, remains to be seen.

• Awka Times guest reporter, Pamela Henry-Igwe, contributed to this story