Insecurity, Not Omicron Covid Variant Is Our Problem In Nigeria

There is no end in sight as hopeless resignation trails the world as Omicron, the new covid-19 variant, recently discovered in South Africa threatens humanity.

The news dominating the global media landscape is the outbreak of this new covid-19 variant. This is a serious setback to the fight against coronavirus, coming at a time when many countries are recovering and opening their doors for trade and business after the pandemic.

We have cause to panic because the effect of the lockdown is more damaging to developing countries like ours. The future of Nigeria and Nigerians is on the edge because of the likely impending domino effect of the new variant.

The situation is precarious and inexplicable. The developing world's contribution to issues that threaten humanity is minimal. For instance, we contribute almost nothing to global warming and the covid-19 transmission. That notwithstanding, poor countries are the worst hit by the misdeed, and sins of ommission and commission of the so-called developed world.

No sensible person disputes the danger and damages the coronavirus can inflict on the health of individuals and nations. This perhaps is the reason governments of developing nations panic too much about the coronavirus. While they have reason to panic, they should, however, not be willing copycats to the west.

We have seen the warnings and scary statistics given by the west about the number of people who were expected to die in Africa when covid-19 broke out. Fortunately, our God, in whom we trust shamed the prophets of doom. The death toll recorded is far below their expectation. We thank Him for his favours on us.

Whatever we are going to do to face the possible outbreak of the Omicron variant, we should not lose sight of the fact that most Nigerians do not believe in corbid-19. I do because I took the second jab of the vaccine in early July 2021. Most Nigerians will not believe in covid-19 until they see people dying in number from the virus infection. We hope this will not happen.

To convince Nigerians that coronavirus is real is a Herculean task. Only 2.9 percent of eligible Nigerians are vaccinated, the premium Times reported. This shows that there is a general apathy among Nigerians about covid-19 vaccination.

Thankfully, “there have been 213,922 infections and 2,975 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began”, Reuters reported. You can say that the number is negligible if you compare it with other countries. This perhaps explains Nigeria’s scepticism about the coronavirus.

The outcry by Nigerians against corruption in covid-19 spending should be taken seriously. Much as I believe in the danger of the coronavirus, I do not subscribe to the waste and corruption in controlling and preventing the pandemic. We should pay more attention to the problem of insecurity and survival of Nigeria as a single and indivisible nation. These problems, pose more threatening problem to our existence as a nation than the covid-19 pandemic.

Saleh Bature wrote in this piece from Maitama Abuja. [email protected]