Falana-led Coalition Blames FG, States for COVID-19 Surge

A leading coalition, Alliance for the Survival of COVID-19 and
Beyond (ASCAB), led by a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has held the federal and state
governments responsible for the rise in COVID-19 in the
country.

Last week, Nigeria recorded more than 1,500 new cases amidst
fears of shortages in oxygen and spilling over of the few isolation
centres in Africa’s most populous country.

In a statement issued yesterday, ASCAB faulted government’s
lukewarm attitude to the rising tide of the global plague warning
that the country faces more deaths unless radical steps are taken
to reverse the trend.

Since last year February, Nigeria has recorded some 99,063 cases
with 79,417 recovered and 1,350 deaths. As at last week, Lagos
leads with 220 deaths followed by 82 in Abuja but the digits change
every day.

ASCAB said responses to COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria have been
largely elite driven. It expressed fears that the 100,000 doses the
federal government plans to import in January 2021 are likely to be
preserved for the rich and the wealthy in the society leaving the
poor out of the scheme.

“Nigerians are faced with more deaths in the face of the rising
casualties of people dying from COVID-19 across the country. While
the second wave hit Europe and Asia in late October, the Nigerians
authorizes had a window opportunity to make preparations for the
inevitable second wave hitting Nigeria, but as usual, nothing was
done” the statement signed by Falana, stated.

The coalition said even in the face of incompetence in handling
the pandemic, the federal government has claimed that it has spent
N31billion in four months.

ASCAB said the country is currently faced with diminishing test
kits, lack of essential dedicated medicine, weak campaign strategy,
bad leadership examples through the breaking of COVID-19 protocols
by officials, denials by state governors and complete lack of a
short and long term strategic National Action Plan to respond to
the global scourge.

“Adherence to strict COVID-19 protocols has broken down due to a
weak enforcement regime, poor leadership examples, disobedience of
protocol by security officials and devotion of available health
facilities to the service of the elite and their family members”
ASCAB said.

ASCAB said poor people have no access to tests and treatment,
adding that treatment and access to tests have become the monopoly
of politicians, their friends and family members.

Falana said corruption is playing a leading role in the decline
of national and state responses to the spread of the virus.

“Many people come into the country without adequate tests while
certified medical certificates are being sold to the highest
bidder. During the period of December, Nigeria had an irresponsible
open door policy that allowed anybody to come into the country
without any tests carried out at the points of arrival. The federal
government responded by banning some people from travelling out of
the country but nothing was done to monitor their movements to
ensure compliance with the self -isolation directive,” ASCAB
said.

ASCAB said the lack of effective control at the point of
immigration may not be unconnected with the rising second wave. The
coalition said that Nigeria has no structure of effective record of
COVID-19 cases adding that less than 20 percent of Nigerian states
conduct COVID-19 tests.

ASCAB said in its show of lack of knowledge, the Federal
Government rolled out a February deadline for some 150 million
Nigerians to obtain the National Identification Number, (NIN)
forcing a stampede at the offices of the National Identity
Management Commission, (NIMC) across the country. The exercise has
led to the infection of some NIMC workers apart from millions of
Nigerians that were deliberately put at arms way by their own
government.

A leading coalition, Alliance for the Survival of COVID-19 and
Beyond (ASCAB), led by a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has held the federal and state
governments responsible for the rise in COVID-19 in the
country.

Last week, Nigeria recorded more than 1,500 new cases amidst
fears of shortages in oxygen and spilling over of the few isolation
centres in Africa’s most populous country.

In a statement issued yesterday, ASCAB faulted government’s
lukewarm attitude to the rising tide of the global plague warning
that the country faces more deaths unless radical steps are taken
to reverse the trend.

Since last year February, Nigeria has recorded some 99,063 cases
with 79,417 recovered and 1,350 deaths. As at last week, Lagos
leads with 220 deaths followed by 82 in Abuja but the digits change
every day.

ASCAB said responses to COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria have been
largely elite driven. It expressed fears that the 100,000 doses the
federal government plans to import in January 2021 are likely to be
preserved for the rich and the wealthy in the society leaving the
poor out of the scheme.

“Nigerians are faced with more deaths in the face of the rising
casualties of people dying from COVID-19 across the country. While
the second wave hit Europe and Asia in late October, the Nigerians
authorizes had a window opportunity to make preparations for the
inevitable second wave hitting Nigeria, but as usual, nothing was
done” the statement signed by Falana, stated.

The coalition said even in the face of incompetence in handling
the pandemic, the federal government has claimed that it has spent
N31billion in four months.

ASCAB said the country is currently faced with diminishing test
kits, lack of essential dedicated medicine, weak campaign strategy,
bad leadership examples through the breaking of COVID-19 protocols
by officials, denials by state governors and complete lack of a
short and long term strategic National Action Plan to respond to
the global scourge.

“Adherence to strict COVID-19 protocols has broken down due to a
weak enforcement regime, poor leadership examples, disobedience of
protocol by security officials and devotion of available health
facilities to the service of the elite and their family members”
ASCAB said.

ASCAB said poor people have no access to tests and treatment,
adding that treatment and access to tests have become the monopoly
of politicians, their friends and family members.

Falana said corruption is playing a leading role in the decline
of national and state responses to the spread of the virus.

“Many people come into the country without adequate tests while
certified medical certificates are being sold to the highest
bidder. During the period of December, Nigeria had an irresponsible
open door policy that allowed anybody to come into the country
without any tests carried out at the points of arrival. The federal
government responded by banning some people from travelling out of
the country but nothing was done to monitor their movements to
ensure compliance with the self -isolation directive,” ASCAB
said.

ASCAB said the lack of effective control at the point of
immigration may not be unconnected with the rising second wave. The
coalition said that Nigeria has no structure of effective record of
COVID-19 cases adding that less than 20 percent of Nigerian states
conduct COVID-19 tests.

ASCAB said in its show of lack of knowledge, the Federal
Government rolled out a February deadline for some 150 million
Nigerians to obtain the National Identification Number, (NIN)
forcing a stampede at the offices of the National Identity
Management Commission, (NIMC) across the country. The exercise has
led to the infection of some NIMC workers apart from millions of
Nigerians that were deliberately put at arms way by their own
government.