36thTwitter Chat Organized By the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on 11th August, 2020 with Mrs. Ayo Obe, Partner at Ogunsola Shonibare lp.

Since the eruption of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria people were hit badly by the disease which led to the announcement of strict lockdown measures across the country to prevent the spread of the disease. Government banned all travels in and out of the country.  People could only leave their homes for essential reasons such as to buy food and other basic necessities of life. Also, when going out people have to wear face masks, ensure social distancing and in many instances with declaration forms. Despite the negative effects of the pandemic, many people in Nigeria do not believe that the virus is real. Number of audio and video clips went viral on different social media platforms of people infected with the virus in isolation centers claiming that they do not believe that they are contracted with the virus. In Gombe state, one of the clips shown a group of people demonstrating to be accommodated with people in quarantine in attraction of the food given to the Covid-19 patients. In another clip, in Jos, capital city of Plateau   state, group of youth infected with virus demonstrated isolating them at the one of the quarantine centers claiming that they were there only because they are Hausa tribe. While in Kano people were trooping to Kwanar Dawakin isolation center only to have eye contact with the Coronavirus patients and accusing the state government of manipulating figures to get money from the federal government. In view of the growing mistrust between citizens and Nigerian government, in its 36th edition of Twitter Chat and in its effort to fight against the pandemic, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on 11th of August, 2020 organized a Twitter Chat and invited Mrs. Ayo Obe, Partner at Ogunsola Shonibare LP as a discussant to discuss on the theme ‘Covid 19 Pandemic and the Growing Mistrust between Citizens and Nigerian Government’. The following discussion emanated from the Twitter Chat.

 

Engagements:

 

 

 

Q

Ma’am can you please explain to us why citizens are losing confidence in governments in the fight? #CITADagainstCovid19

A.

Nonetheless, I think that because we are not seeing massive deaths from #COVID19, and also because @NCDCgov is having a good rate of recovery among those who do test positive for #Coronavirus, people still have some confidence in NCDC.

However, the main area where @NCDCgov seems to have failed is in falling woefully short of its declared ambitions with regard to #COVID19 testing. According to its April promise, by now we ought to be seeing “mass testing”. But instead, we have tested fewer than 300,000!

There is already a trust deficit that Government in general faces vis-à-vis Nigerian citizens, but we started out with people ready to give @NCDCgov the benefit of the doubt as the lead agency in the fight against #COVID19.

 

Q.

@naijama Nigerians are skeptical about the daily assurances given by govt about Nigeria’s preparedness to fight the covid19 in the event of a possible outbreak. How can you rate the govt in responses to these assurances?

#CITADagainstCovid19 @ICTAdvocates @a_sabo12 @YZYau

 

A.

It is clear that while the daily assurances are met with a lot of skepticism by citizens, the greater problem is that because people don’t trust what government says about #COVID19, many ignore the basic procedures to stop the spread of the disease.

Again, for the bulk of the population, the impact of #COVID19 is less a clinical or medical problem, and more a financial problem. And in that regard, there is doubt and skepticism about the way government is handling the financial palliatives aspect of its response

Thus many think #COVID19 is either a “rich man’s disease” or (by some unfathomable reason or inexplicable process) a ‘scam’ by government. And if the relevant orientation agencies have been carrying a different message, it is having a hard time getting through.

But because (fortunately) we are not dying in large numbers, people are not taking the threat as seriously as perhaps they ought to.

I would also add that there is a tremendous amount of false information on social media and in traditional rumour mills about #COVID19.

 

Q.

@naijama Following years of disappointment failed campaign promises,unfulfilled state programmes,large-scale corruption & failure to deliver on the dividends of democracy,does the aforementioned factors have any effect on D fight against covid19?

@ICTAdvocates @YZYau @a_sabo12

 

A.

This is why I said that government is already facing a trust deficit. And when the response to #COVID19 demands huge sacrifices by the people, that trust deficit becomes important.

#CITADagainstCOVID19

Moreover, at the height of the #LockDown, it seemed as though members of the government were not adhering to its own regulations, and this made people less inclined to believe that “we’re all in this together”, or to make sacrifices to fight #COVID19 themselves.

However, I don’t think that people are refusing to join the fight against #COVID19 because of failed campaign promises of unfulfilled state programmes, because Nigerians are used to that, and anyway, some promises have been met and some states programmes have worked.

Thus many think #COVID19 is either a “rich man’s disease” or (by some unfathomable reason or inexplicable process) a ‘scam’ by government. And if the relevant orientation agencies have been carrying a different message, it is having a hard time getting through.

 

Q.

@naijama Does Religion also intersects with distrust in determining how Nigerian citizens have responded to COVID-19?

#CITADagainstCovid19 @ICTAdvocates @YZYau @a_sabo12 @ooomiiiii @ChiromaHope @nissimase @abdullahi_ari @Mairo_Ado @HariraWakili

 

A.

Some religious leaders have been less than helpful in sensitising the populace on the #COVID19 threat and how to meet it.

But while religion plays a factor as many people believe that their faith may see them through, I don’t see it as a factor in distrust.

#CITADagainstCOVID19

 

 

Q.

@naijama looking at recent happenings in Edo state where govt officials are violating the @NCDCgov’s guidelines including governors that subjected their people to total lockdown in the past, who do you think the citizens will blame for this uncalled behavior? #CITADagainstCovid19 https://t.co/U25x5jH4Ee

 

A.

That problem didn’t start in Edo State: it has been constant from political leaders throughout the #COVID19 crisis, even during #Lockdown.

We discussed the range of state government responses on @ideasradiong here: https://t.co/8NGSK6ZdPx

#CITADagainstCOVID19

While some, e.g. here in Lagos, behaved responsibly, others were treating #COVID19 as a political jest, or were in complete denial.

And at the end of the day, at election time, campaign is the life blood of politics, and it seems many politicians are ready to take the risk.

 

Q.

@naijama do you think there is possibility of citizens to start disobeying @NCDCgov’s guidelines or any rules place by either federal or state govt referencing to recent event in Edo state? @YZYau @MubarakEkute @ChiromaHope @nissimase #CITADagainstCovid19 @teemerh_beekay

 

A.

I’m not aware of any specific event in Edo State with reference to @NCDCgov anti #COVID19 guidelines, but as I said, there have been enough examples of breach of such guidelines across the country for citizens to decide whether they will obey the guidelines in their own interest.

 

Q.

Ma’am can you please explain to us why citizens are loosing confidence in governments in the fight? #CITADagainstCovid19 @YZYau @ChiromaHope @MubarakEkute @nissimase @ooomiiiii @teemerh_beekay @naijama

 

A.

I have already said that there is a massive trust deficit. So the question is whether government has put in place what would erase that when it is at the same time putting citizens under tremendous pressures as to how they earn their daily bread.

#CITADagainstCOVID19

While ventilators may be being donated to Nigeria, very few of us lived under the illusion that should we require them, ventilators would be available to save us from #COVID19.

Therefore, citizens start from a position of knowing that they have to fight COVID19 themselves.

For that reason, losing confidence is not really the issue: government must first build it up. But when it e.g. imposes an inter-state travel ban, and everyone knows it requires only bribery to defeat it, government does more to undermine itself in the fight against #COVID19.

 

Q

@naijama what do you think is the role of CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION in all of this. And how is the government adequately partnering with CSOs in the fight against the Virus and also building trust?@ICTAdvocates @YZYau @a_sabo12 @ChiromaHope @abdullahi_ari #CITADagainstCovid19

 

A.

CSOs can only amplify the messages of @NCDCgov guidelines, #SocialDistancing etc.

I cannot speak about the medical or clinical aspect, but CSOs have also a role to play in monitoring palliative measures and how donations are applied or spent.

CSOs like @ZODML have assisted in efforts to provide facilities for online learning, but the main area of concern for most people is financial and #DomesticViolence: in both these CSOs can help identify those in need and also provide protection.

 

 

 

 

Q.

#CITADActionAgainstCOVID19

@naijama, recent revelation by @CivicHive shows that government mismanage funds meant for #COVID19 and they are yet to respond to the allegations. Looking at the sensitivity of this pandemic and some of the “I don’t care attitude by the government”

Can we relate this to why some people see this pandemic as a mere politics or money making venture by corrupt gov’t officials?

@a_sabo12 @nissimase @kamalkano @MubarakEkute @YZYau @macfound

 

A.

Full transparency is always key here, but when government picks out specific issues in what @CivicHive has said to dispute those, its silence on the others implies an acceptance that those other charges are correct.

With is full transparency (including from bodies like @cenbank about what it has received and what it is spending), such mismanagement will be difficult.

But when Nigerians see what @NDDCOfficialNGR spent on its own officials as ‘#COVID19 palliative’, there are bound to be …

… fears about how other bodies are spending #COVID19 funds, hence a lot of skepticism about how School Feeding and other palliative measures are being administered and the prices government claims to be paying for all these.

I don’t doubt that government’s fundamental hope is to defeat #COVID19 and send the #Coronavirus packing from Nigeria.

But when it continues to tolerate egregious examples of corruption in the administration of funds meant to fight the disease, it destroys the chance of doing so.