From lockdown to palliatives, EndSARS, recession

KOLA MUHAMMED reviews the major events in 2020 which started just like every other but turned out to be a year of extremities.

The year 2020 was still more than a decade away when the Nigerian government started cooking Vision 20:2020. According to projections by the Yar’Adua/Goodluck administration in 2007, it was supposed to be the year that Nigeria would become one of the top 20 economies in the world. Even when a change of power occurred in 2015, the succeeding administration also expressed the same determination to pursue the dream.

However by the time the much anticipated year 2020 rolled in, it was a far cry from the expected reality. Not only did Nigeria fail to make it to the top 20 economies in the world, it was also the year it entered into another recession.

The year was barely a week old when the United States announced the killing of an Iranian Major-General, Qasem Soleimani. Though the fears of another major war appeared far-fetched, the event seemed to be a foreshadowing for a more silent yet equally devastating cataclysm which would literally bring the world to its knees.

COVID-19

What was initially disregarded as a town plague originating in Wuhan, China, slowly and gradually started to penetrate international borders and by the time was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation on March 11th, most countries of the world had been affected by the virus which would later spread like with devastating effects claiming hundreds of thousands of lives across continents.

The nature of the virus itself was unusual. A carrier, for example may by asymptomatic which makes person-to-person infection easier as people wouldhave interacted with a carrier for a long time before being aware of his or her status.

The idea of a lockdown was no less novel, as many businesses became affected in the course of the year. Human presence in the busiest spots around the world was also empty for the first time in human memory.

Handshakes became arm shakes, physical and social distancing became the order of the day while hand sanitizers and nose masks became obligatory accessories. The rage of the pandemic was so much that social events in this part of the world seen as a major means of socialisation were affected. Ironically, people soon discovered that such social events could even be done with less financial burdens..

High-profile deaths

The nature of coronavirus, according to experts, makes it deadlier to people with existing medical conditions and the elderly whose immune system has become considerably weaker. With a population of about 200 million, Nigeria had people with underlying ailments and it was not long before the virus started claiming lives.

The political class, particularly partly because of their renown, suffered fatal hits. Bigwigs such as President Muhammadu Buhari’s former Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari; former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi; Senator Buruji Kashamu; Senator Bayo Osinowo representing Lagos East Senatorial District and Wahab Adegbenro, former Ondo commissioner of Health, among others lost their lives to the deadly virus.

Although several governors, among other political class figures caught the virus and went into isolation. They were, however, lucky to have recovered without paying the ultimate price.

Lockdown effects

When the lockdown policy was implemented by both the federal and state governments, the implication was that economic activities came to a standstill and both private and public owners would bear the brunt.

While the yoke was a bit bearable for government workers who had hopes of salaries, the situation was not the same for private sector workers who either lost their jobs or were placed on leave without pay. Those who took to the Social Media during the time expressed the anguish they went through in order to make ends meet.

Entertainers who mainly rely on shows and endorsements for income had all their sources of revenue halted due to the embargo placed on physical gatherings. Those into nightlife and siciual events businesses also had similar woes to express. Transport employers and employees had to contend with several checkpoints and locked borders to move people and commodities as movement across the country was restricted to only essential workers and goods.

In obeying anti-social rules, religious activities were also put in abeyance and those who managed to keep their services going had to transmit their programmes through virtual means to their congregation in their homes.

Small and medium scale businesses were also not left out of the impact as they were rendered unproductive for the months which the lockdown lasted. Many of them eventually went under.

Easing of Lockdown

From May, however, the lockdown began to be gradually lifted, in phases, and economic activities began to resume. Things would, however, not go back to where they were, as many business owners expressed difficulty in returning to business as usual.

Clamours were made for the Federal Government to assist in providing palliatives as the media became awash with news of a partnership between the private and the public sectors in providing succour which comprised mostly food items.

#EndSARS

As Nigerians began to breathe in a new lease of life on the economic front, with social shackles gradually being released, a movement would start on a microblogging platform, Twitter which would soon envelope the whole country.

Police brutality had been a recurrent theme in the country’s book of injustice. There are those who had reportedly met their end at the hands of trigger-happy security agents. A police unit, known as Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) a symbol of the high-handedness of the Police and security agents in general was targeted for scrapping.

Several similar incidents across the nation triggered the hashtag movement, #EndSARS on Twitter. Although the hashtag was not new, what would be peculiar was that the social agitation would translate into mass physical demonstration.

On October 8, popular singers, Folarin Falana popularly known as ‘Falz’ and Douglas ‘Runtown’ Agu would take the lead to start what would later be known as a historic march against police brutality.

The march saw millions of youths across the country take position at strategic city points, disrupting day-to-day socio-economic activities in a bid to make their voices heard. The protests witnessed an unusual organisation among youths as resources were donated from all over the world towards the cause.

Foreign celebrities also lent their voices as #EndSARS garnered global attention on social media and government figures had to grant reception to some sections of the youths. Despite reported dialogue with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu and subsequent disbandment of SARS as a security unit, protests continued as protesters agitated that the pronouncement of disbandment should come from the President Muhammadu Buhari because a similar development had occurred in previous years with little effect.

Protesters also stated that their concerns on the #5for5 agenda presented to the IGP and publicised on social media had not been met.

A twist was however introduced to the protest on October 20 when the Instagram live feed of popular disc jockey, DJ Switch reportedly transmitted to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians that youths were being shot with live bullets by security agents believed to be personnel of the Nigerian Army. The incident would later be tagged #LekkiMassacre with fingers pointed at both the federal and Lagos State governments as having a hand in the killings.

Human rights group, Amnesty International, claimed that not less than 12 people lost their lives on the night alone.

Arson, palliatives and foodlums

The aftermath of the shooting saw to the outburst of violence and widespread looting. In Lagos, several BRT buses were burnt as arson trailed the shooting of the previous night of October 20. Several facilities in the state, including a number of media houses and hotels were reportedly attacked by hoodlums. Several other states bore witness to accounts of violence.

In the course of the attacks, warehouses containing branded palliative packages donated by the private sector taskforce under the banner of Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) were discovered and this led to widespread looting and vandalism of warehouses across the country.

Some observers remarked whether it was right to call hungry people who were retrieving items that should have been theirs way earlier hoodlums or ‘foodlums’.

From indications, the warehouses had been loaded with foodstuffs months before but were not shared because of “an anticipation of a second wave of COVID-19”.

Insecurity

Even though the onslaught of COVID-19 had relegated several matters of the state to the background for the better part of the year, the resumption of socio-economic activities meant that the perennial challengesthat beleaguer the country would again return to the fore.

One of such is insurgency which has seen terrorist sect, Boko Haram ravage the Northeastern part of the country for over a decade.The year, especially in the last quarter saw insecurity dominate the headlines again as lives were again lost on a large scale.

An unenviable trend of tragic incidents – from the killing of a first class monarch in Ondo to the decapitation of scores of farmers in Zabarmari, Borno State – only served to underpin why Nigeria was ranked third by Global Terrorism Index on itslist of the most terrorised countries in the world, for the sixth year in a row.

The abduction and subsequent rescue of over 300 schoolboys in Kankara, Katsina State, only served to highlight that the security infrastructure of the country needs drastic changes amidst clamour from Nigerians over the sustained appointment of the service chiefs.

Recession

Although tales of economic woes and hardship had been documented across sectors, from business owners to workers since the incursion of the pandemic, it was not until November that the National Bureau of Statistics officially declared that Nigeria’s economy had entered recession, for the second time in five years.

This meant that the gross domestic product (GDP) growth was negative for two consecutive quarters. With many economies across the world also struggling and the price of oil crashing, experts have expressed that it may take a while before the country regains economic strength.

ASUU strike

In what has been regarded by analysts to be the longest industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), 2020 bore witness to an off-work demonstration from public universities’ lecturers, lasting for about 10 months.

The strike which was called off last week since its commencement in March had ensured that millions of Nigerian undergraduates could not resume academic activities even when other sectors of the economy resumed.

Second wave of COVID-19

Although reports of second wave of COVID-19 had already been doing rounds in the news, it was not until December before results from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)indicated that such reports were not baseless.

Between December 13th and 19th, NCDC announced a total number of 5,178 cases, despite speculations of a low testing capacity. The figure represents the highestsince testing started in Nigeria and the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 all but affirmed that Nigeria has indeed entered a second wave of the pandemic.

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