Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to institute a war against COVID-19 in the fashion of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) that he instituted in 1984 when he was the military head of state.
In the letter which copy was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Wednesday, the monarch stressed that institution of such war would compel enforcement of severe penalty for covid-19 rules and discourage violators.
“Your excellency, instituting War Against COVID-19 (WAC) is much needed,” he said.
“The Buhari led government needs to domesticate a moral slogan as done in 1984 through War Against Indiscipline (WAI) to enforce the COVID-19 rules which include wearing of facemask, regular hand washing and social distancing,” the monarch noted.
The move, he said, would assist government in winning the ongoing war against the pandemic.
He stressed that violators should be severely punished with disserving constitutional dictates to serve as a deterrent.
The Oluwo also called for mounting of billboards across the nation with a view to increasing enlightenment on the use of facemask.
“He noted that with the strategy, no one would claim ignorance of the rule when the full wrath of the law is being applied against violators.
He, however, promised to complement government’s efforts in his own little capacity as a paramount ruler.
The monarch urged the president to open the economy occasioned by the pandemic because its continuous lock was hazardous for not only today but also the future.
The letter read in part:
“I’m not unaware of the president’s resolution to protect human lives at this fragile time. So far, you have given us hope that Nigerians are safe under your government. You respect human lives and toe the path of the progressives. Amazingly, Nigeria is one of the best countries managing the virus. Royal kudos to his excellency and the covid-19 taskforce.
“Unarguably, we have respected the accompanied challenges to covid-19. It has locked today, should the virus be at advantage to tingle tomorrow? I’m not ominous but the COVID is pushing the economy to a tipping point of regret, should we fail to stay by the virus and respect tipster ideas.
“Covid is an unannounced visitor. It neither nocks nor greets. Your administrative libations are persuasive and yielding. Just like most developed countries, we should endeavour to manage it and expose our economy to survival for today and tomorrow.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has to give an imprimatur enforcement with strict penalty on violators of COVID-19 rules. The rules of wearing mask should be mandated without exclusion. If need be, it should be extended to animals to include animals in human skin. Any human who refuses to wear it should be meted with animalistic treatment.
“Our vulnerable women could improvise a specially designed dress to protect their faces. Many of them are not used to facemask while others consider it as a task. They prefer such protection as an accessory to form part of their dress. Improvising through development of an inbuilt protective face coverage with female dressing is needed to curtail their tendencies. To be relaxed, females have to take this as librium.
“COVID-19 is a leveller. It jumps all barriers, Knows no age, status and influence. The laws should be enforced to know nobody too. If the government can manage the trend as this, we can do better when economy is reopened by respecting the moral engagements of the virus.
“The fear of death must not permeate hunger. Hunger kills faster and farther. An hungry man is obsessed and oppressed and has no boundary to commit illegality such as maiming and killing others for survival. Hungry leads to depression. Depression leads to suicide. All these abnormalities are offsprings of a recessed economy. An unfriendly economy is an enemy of the government.
“Nigeria is only close to greatness but not too close. We cannot afford to start again. Your administration is restructuring the punctured structures. You deserve commendation and the best I could do to personally compensate you is through pieces of royal advice and support, part of which is this.
“You have successfully mounted a public awareness against corruption, drastically checkmating unemployment with N-power scheme and other opportunities, ensuring effective project implementations without delay. It is now and not later. These good tidings must not be destroyed by a virus we can formulate and enforce policies to live with.
“The world is living with COVID-19. Nigeria should open up and enact an enforceable directives to effectively manage ourselves. Today must not be allowed to destroy the future. Let’s get up and face the challenges.
“Once again, I charge the government to see this epistle beyond ordinary while I equally commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his steadfastness in installing a new order devoid of corruption into the Nigerian democracy.”