In this generation, nothing has devastatingly impacted on all facets of human endeavors within the span of three months like Covid-19.
As I am writing this piece, Sunday 24 th May 2020, loss of human lives has globally reached 345,731 with over 2.8 million active cases while Nigeria recorded 221 deaths and 5,131 active cases out of 7,526 total cases. And the counting continues on daily basis.
Socio-economic, and political fronts were terribly affected beyond imagination.
In several countries, Covid-19 has turned those countries into huge prisons with severe restrictions of movements and personal freedom. New norms; social distances, wearing of mask, etc were created and people were forced to accept them wholeheartedly, no thank to Covid-19.
In Nigeria, the effect on the economy is alarming. The result of the study conducted by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Nigerian office, during the first one and half months of the lockdown in Nigeria is ominously disturbing.
The lockdown declined the GDP by 38%, increased National poverty Rate by 15% and brought in additional 30 million people below the poverty line (IFPRI, May 2020).
Despite this gloomily devastating effect, Covid-19 is forcing Nigeria to search inward for solutions of challenges particularly in health and agriculture.
This perhaps may be the sunny side of Covid-19. On health, for many decades, Nigerian elites run abroad to treat all kinds of ailments from common cold to cancerous diseases, as they have no confidence in nation’s health sector.
Covid-19 is changing the story, it did not only grounded the airlines for all flights but lockdown those countries where our elites frequently visit to address their ailments.
The paupers and society’s crème de la crème are forced to visit our dilapidated, ramshackle and ill-equipped hospitals managed by poorly motivated, poorly supervised, overworked and ineptitude health personnel, no thanks to Covid-19.
In addition to these obstacles in the health sector, the inadequacy of medical personnel in Nigeria is disquieting. For instance, the current global recommendation is a ratio of one doctor to 600 people.
A poll citing the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), reported that there are about 72,000 nationally registered Nigerian doctors, with only 35,000 practicing. That is, one Nigerian doctor sees more than 5,000 patients.
To make matters worse, 9 out of 10 Nigerian doctors are considering work opportunities in America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and sometimes South Africa, they are only waiting for their chance.
https://nimedhealth.com.ng/2019/09/14/disturbing-doctor-patient-ratio-in-nigeria-it-is-1-doctor-to-
6000-patients/ The permutation and combination of all these impediments resulted to several deaths in many towns across the nation.
Six months ago, who could ever think that with all your dough, you can’t travel oversea to treat even a common headache?
The Covid-19 has presented us golden opportunity to squarely address the health sector, why can’t we have globally rated first class hospital in Nigeria?
What does it take to do it? Government can convene stakeholders gathering to find answers to these questions.
It is very clear that the nation has to wake up to find lasting and sustainable solutions to the problems of health sector in Nigeria. Another sunny side of the Covid-19 is in Agriculture.
Food is the third most important factor responsible for human survival after air and water. Lack or inadequacy of food in a society leads to food insecurity, the most deadly form of insecurity, which kills people slowly, steadily and continuously.
Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired products through crops and livestock productions.
So, agriculture is a critical sector for both economic development and achievement of food security.
In Nigeria, however, the agricultural sector has grossly been neglected over the years. For example, the budgetary allocation to agriculture as a percentage of the overall annual budget to all sectors were 1.25%, 1.82%, 2.23% and 1.56% in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.
These budgetary allocations are completely different from the actual budget releases for implementation. On the average 60% of the budgetary allocations are implemented.
Well, the budgetary allocations are far below the 10% of total annual budgetary allocation of the country as recommended by the Maputo declaration, an agreement signed by the African Heads of States in 2004.
Maputo declaration was aimed at increasing government investment in Agriculture, which has high potential for massive employment.
In Nigeria, agriculture has the potential to provide employment to over 70% of the population.
As a country, we are yet to cultivate 60% of our arable land due lack of infrastructure, low level of agricultural mechanization and poor extension delivery services.
Can we over come these three major factors militating against agricultural productivity?The answer is emphatically “yes” COVID-19 Pandemic is providing us with a golden opportunity to revive agricultural sector.
The Pandemic has presented a prospect to Nigeria to rethink deeply of excessive interdependence and over reliance on other nations for her economic prosperity, especially, in terms of supply of food, inputs, capital, technology, and knowledge.
It further exposes Nigeria, to the dangers of maintaining a mono culture economy such as petrol and also echoes the urgent need for a holistic, disciplined and coordinated approach to production and income diversification through agriculture.
On the food security situation, over the years, Nigeria stabilizes its food demands through massive importation of food especially rice, sugar, tomato etc.
According National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigerians spent a total of N334.3 billion to import prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits and vinegar and tobacco in the half-year (January – June) of 2019.
Furthermore, between 2015 and 2019, foodstuffs, beverages, spirits and vinegar and tobacco imports into Nigeria was estimated at N2.25 trillion.
Covid-19 is likely to change the scenario of massive importation of foods into the country.
This is because the countries supplying Nigeria with food items are equally, if not devastatingly affected by the Covid-19 and may not have excess of food to export.
So, Nigeria must produce enough food to meet the demands of her teeming population and avoid the looming food insecurity. How can this be done?
With strategic thinking, adequate planning and commitment to implement the plan, Nigeria can feed all Nigerians with excess for massive exportation to other countries.
The agricultural resources in Nigeria are enormous, the manpower, both skilled and unskilled are gargantuan but need to be galvanized to produce the desired results.
Fortunately, we need not to invent the wheel as it was long invented. We can start green revolution in earnest by involving all the three tiers of governments; local, state and Federal and the diverse stakeholders in the Agriculture Sector.
We can initiate this revolution today. The ball is in the court of the Federal Government to kick-start this initiation.
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