What kind of government would put its people on the line of “fire”? it’s simply preposterous that the Nigerian Government, in the past few weeks, has been forcing the people of Nigeria to go and scramble for spaces at the NIMC centres to register for NIN to beat the February 2021 deadline even when the Presidential Task Force continues to give out frightening figures of fresh cases of the second wave of the COVID 19 pandemic, on a daily basis.
What is it about this NIN registration that it cannot be suspended for now to protect vulnerable Nigerians from the assault of the deadly virus?
A cursory look at the profile of the people in the crowds at NIMC centres will show:
-Mostly C, D classes (masses)
-Mostly Unemployed
-Mostly down trodden
-Mostly Obscured
These people belong to the category that cannot afford the treatment of any type of the virus infection whether mild or severe. They belong to the category of people that run their lives on subsistence basis. The people on queues at NIMC centres are those whose problems never come to limelight. Yet they are being forced to go and scramble for spaces in the name of NIN registration at the risk of contracting COVID 19.
The media reported cases of COVID 19 victims dead or alive are those of victims high up in the society; the governors, the celebrities, professors, government officials and the executives etc, while large numbers mostly of the down trodden never get mentioned.
The cost of treatment for covid 19 infected patients at one of the accredited private facility in Lagos is about N1.3m per day. Someone lamented how they had to cough out over N13m for the treatment of their mother who died five days after her admission into the hospital. Where would the kinds of people we see at NIN centres get such money for treatment? No wonder the COVID19 cases we know or hear about are those of the people in the upper echelon of the society.
In order to have a firsthand information, I paid a visit to one of the NIMC centres in Alimosho Local Government in Lagos for an on- the- spot- assessment. What is going on at NIMC centres is baffling. At about 2.50pm Wednesday, I counted more than 250 people crowding at a 3ft x6ft door entrance to gain entrance for capturing, majority of them with no regard for COVID protocols. One of them who discussed procedure with me said he had to obtain a form for N50 a day before, came back as early as 7am today (Wednesday) to get capturing appointment date. The appointment day for beginners, he added, has extended to September, 2021. So, you wonder, who is fooling who? NIMC put registration deadline at February 2021, NIMC workers at the centers fixing capturing appointment till September 2021.
Does government less values the soul of an average Nigerian to NIN? Government needs to suspend any crowd converging program or policy now. What can face mask prevent when people are pushing and shoving themselves to do NIN registration. One push or shove from one infected person is enough to spread the virus to everyone on the line. To ask people to take turns to place their fingers on one machine for capturing, one after another, at this point in time, is tantamount to daring the virus. The futility of Contact Tracing in cases of infections from NIMC centres is a no brainer, as the infected persons spread the virus on to family members and friends. The crowds at NIMC centres are unimaginable at this period of COVID 19 pestilence.
Who are these people managing the affairs of this country? What are they up to? Do they want to turn themselves to stressors on the people? What do they benefit from making life difficult for the people? The people at the helm of affairs at NIMC, Tuesday, flagrantly said on their twitter handle, that BVN generated NIN is not acceptable until the number is re-registered at NIMC centres. What is wrong with BVN generated NIN? Is it not from the same data base? Are they measuring their performances by the number of pains they inflicted on the people? “There is God o”
The summary of NCDC report on COVID 19 as at 12-01-21 is stated hereunder, yet no one in the government circle spoke against forcing the people out for NIN registration.
- On the 12th of January 2021, 1270 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths were recorded in Nigeria
- Till date, 102601 cases have been confirmed, 81574 cases have been discharged and 1373 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory
- The 1270 new cases are reported from 22 states:
- Lagos (435)
- FCT (234)
- Oyo (103)
- Plateau (86)
- Rivers (71)
- Enugu (51)
- Nasarawa (41)
- Delta (39)
- Edo (39)
- Osun (33)
- Niger (31)
- Sokoto (23)
- Ondo (16)
- Taraba (13)
- Ebonyi (12)
- Kano (10)
- Abia (9)
- Bayelsa (8)
- Bauchi (7)
- Imo (5)
- Katsina (3)
- Gombe (1)
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