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In following @DrJoeAbah ‘s #GovernancePuzzles I have been thinking about a scenario:
On 27th of February when Nigeria announced the first case of Covid19, so many people came to social media to implore the government to close the airports i.e effectively
On 27th of February when Nigeria announced the first case of Covid19, so many people came to social media to implore the government to close the airports i.e effectively
banning international travels.
The government had at least two options:
A) Close the border/ airports immediately.
B) Stall and close days later ; for various reasons the government may have.
They went for (B)
The government had at least two options:
A) Close the border/ airports immediately.
B) Stall and close days later ; for various reasons the government may have.
They went for (B)
Imagine the government have listened and done (A) and we ended up with like 5 cases and all of them have recovered, no death in Nigeria. And as at today, we are a Coronavirus free country but still locked from the outside world (as we are now).
Do you think we(the people of Nigeria) will appreciate that decision?
Considering the following:
1. We will NOT (maybe never) know that it will have gotten this bad in Nigeria (we currently have 1000+ confirmed cases), some people were calling it a scam (few still do)
Considering the following:
1. We will NOT (maybe never) know that it will have gotten this bad in Nigeria (we currently have 1000+ confirmed cases), some people were calling it a scam (few still do)
2. A lot of our imported cases (people who eventually came back home) will be stranded abroad and may blame the country for abandoning them and not allowing them return to their country, and family of the ones who die will blame the government,
they may say it’s because they couldn’t get to Nigeria that’s why their loved one got infected in a higher-rate infection country and died there.
You label the shutdown immediate to protect Nigeria, they call it abrupt and reckless without considering “healthy” Nigerians abroad,
You label the shutdown immediate to protect Nigeria, they call it abrupt and reckless without considering “healthy” Nigerians abroad,
who wish to return to their country in few days but were shut out by an impulsive government. Now they are stranded, and some dead.
3. Some Nigerian government officials were out of the country on official duty.
3. Some Nigerian government officials were out of the country on official duty.
How will it look to those officials, their family, and even some patriots, if you tell them, “well, I know the only reason you are out of Nigeria is because of Nigeria but we cannot allow you into Nigeria till further notice” ?
3a, The late Chief of Staff was one of those on official trips, how would it have looked that he died of a virus he got while on a government trip and he wasn’t allowed in and eventually died abroad (consider the political implications and morale of your cabinet).
In summary, as 28th of February 2020, if you were the President what would you have done ?
#GovernancePuzzles
#GovernancePuzzles
