As at the last count, Nigeria has raised more than 15 Billion Naira to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. While it may not compare to the huge amounts countries like the United States or United Kingdom have dedicated to fighting the pandemic, what is interesting about Nigeria’s fund-raising is that the billions of Naira were all locally-raised and came out of the ‘goodness’ of the hearts of the nation’s rich.
All of this from individuals and institutions in a country that is so rich and yet, so poor; a country with ill-equipped public and social amenities, where most hospitals have become more of prescription centres, quality primary healthcare is virtually non-existent and the level of energy poverty which is at the heart of Nigeria’s underdeveloped status is outstandingly staggering.
One question that has been swirling in my mind is this: would Nigeria have raised billions of Nigeria if the rich donors were able to fly themselves abroad just to escape the virus? If the developed countries borders had not been closed to them, would they have bothered to dip hands in their overflowing pockets to shell out billions of Naira as donations?
I have no problem with people with deep pockets who genuinely worked for their money. That is the hallmark of any capitalist society. What matters however, is what you do with such money; how much of it is invested back in the society to make the future of your children a bit more secure?
Make no mistake about it, we are talking about 15 billion Naira and not 15 million Naira, raised in less than two weeks. Imagine how many hospitals that would have properly equipped to stem the tide of medical tourism of which our rich and privileged few, especially those that we supposedly elected to serve are the primary promoters!
There is no reason Nigeria cannot afford first class hospitals publicly or privately funded. It’s all about money and the donations have proved that it is doable. Doctors Eneli, Kuku and Obiora did this decades back in Lagos in the EKO Hospital.
Primary healthcare centres are always at the frontline of a nation’s health infrastructure. So, imagine investing just 1 billion Naira of that money in primary healthcare in every local government area in the country or even investing such amount in research for the cure of ‘ordinary’ malaria. Do we really have to wait for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or the Clinton Foundation to come to our aid? What about a UBA or Polaris Bank funded health care clinic in a community in Imo or Ogun State or an Aliko Dangote supported primary healthcare centre in a community in Birni Kebbi? What about a Folorunsho Alakija supported primary Healthcare Centre for Women and Children in the FCT or in the Ajegunle area of Lagos?
Here’s another thing: while there have been only 2 officially announced casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside it has been more than 170 deaths from Lassa fever. And no one is talking about that or donating towards finding solution to the local epidemic. Could it be because the victims of Lassa fever are the poor most of who are prone to unhygienic living conditions while the victims of Covid-19 are the rich-jet-hopping elite members of society?
Will we learn from this latest scourge? When the Ebola virus happened, everyone felt we had learnt our lessons, and now with Covid-19 we are singing the same song. Learning our lesson will be building on all efforts plunged into fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and using our best brains to find solutions.
Build hospitals, properly equip them, stop running abroad to treat headaches and leg pains. The money is here in this country to build the best for everyone. We should all be in this together – rich, middle class and the poor.
Let’s be better prepared for the next pandemic.
*Angela Agoawike is a Communications Consultant and Coordinator of JADE Seminars