COVID-19: The dire need for reason amidst the cacophonous voices

Tobi Adetunji

One of the hall marks of last year was the outbreak of the pandemic across the continents of the earth. While it seems the overarching effect of this novel disease is still very much with us, it has exposed the diversity of thoughts; proactiveness or failure of leadership, vulnerability of the masses and the urgency cum pertinence for reappraisal if not overhauling of our institutions conception of leadership, responsiveness and the formulation of center policy in all governmental overture.

Whilst I will not want to pass verdict on the event that characterised the management of the pandemic because series of information had been churned out in that regards, it will not be an exaggeration to assert that Nigerians and more specifically our leaders seem to be  poor managers of information, lack creativity, seems not to believe in finding our unique way to solving our problems except the copy and paste solutions from the western world. It appears from what had been seen thus far that the young generation do not occupy any space in their planning while the older generation had already given up.

Recently, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) found a consensus with her long time foe, the Federal government and called off the nine months old strike; an action which had  been applauded by people from all walks of life.   However, it is important to x-ray  several factors that interplay and the need to engage reason for the betterment of the masses.

It is not a gainsaying to affirm that the incalculable injuries and blow the action had dealt with us as a nation may have to  stay with us as long as the country exist. This is because it doesn’t only create an imbalance system giving the fact the private varsities was not absolutely affected and who will pass blame on those institutions. What really come to play is how much you are willing to pay, but again on the aggregate the output have grave consequences on national development.

Fast forward to the recent and supposed stance of the federal government on the resumption of schools at all levels slated for 18th of January (today),  the inability to find for us as a country a home grown solution or vaccine,  the hostile reaction of the members of the House of Representatives committee on Education and the imperativeness of engaging reason, balancing divergence, contradictory views, subsuming egos and forging a trusted and veritable way for the sake of national development, have all become top matters of concern.

In the wake of contentions surrounding the resumption of schools, observations have been raised that in a sane system, there should be a progressive relationship between stakeholders in the ministry of education, ministry of health, the House of Representatives, and the masses if development is to be achieved.

The University Don can’t keep justifying their position of the impossibility of resumption based on non availability of sordid cum suitable technological Architecture for virtual learning, whilst the Honourable members of Representative committee on education focus on not been duly informed by the ministry of education’s decision. If this unnecessary ding-dongs continue, the brunt will be borne by the masses. The issue therefore demands a fierce urgency of reason to arrest the needless tangling or display of unnecessary egoism.

We must bore in mind that the country is yet to recover from the untold effects of Covid-19 especially the major sector like  education and the economy. As we await the urgent steps of government at stemming the second wave of the Covid-19, all efforts must be galvanized towards arresting dilapidated ivory tower for a successful future.

To take a wipe is a flash to the words of an icon (Awolowo 1981), which states: “Those of us placed in a position of leadership must be prepared to grasp the nettle if we unite in doing so, and if in addition, we set a worthy example and a marat on Pace in probity, unselfishness, and self-sacrifice, the people will follow all too readily in our footsteps.”