Fear, tension and anxiety pervade Nigeria at the moment, as the restriction of movement and shutting down of social and business activities in some states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, remain in place. The lockdown is one of the measures the Nigerian government adopted to arrest the spread of the dreaded coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, which is causing extensive damage around the world. Already, more than two million people are infected globally, with no fewer than 133,719 people (as at Wednesday) dead. In Nigeria, 407 people have been infected, as at Wednesday, with 12 deaths, while 128 have recovered from the pandemic. 
President Muhammadu Buhari had, on April 13, 2020, extended the lockdown of the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states for another two weeks, after the initial 14 days from March 30, 2020. He also advised residents of other states where same action had been taken by the governors to likewise obey the stay-at-home order. According to him, the extension of the lockdown period became necessary, as “it is a matter of life and death.” He said doing otherwise would come with consequences. “The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable,” President Buhari said.
Nobody would fault the Federal Government for extending the lockdown of some states and the FCT. Other countries have likewise shut down their cities for weeks running, with the plan to continue this for another three to four months. This is the best government and health managers can do, in the face of no known cure for coronavirus. Locking down cities, therefore, is to enforce social distancing, with the hope that, as person-to-person contact is reduced across the world, the spread of coronavirus would be curtailed. Good enough, news from countries where lockdown of cities has been in place has shown that the policy is yielding some positive results, even as scientists search for a permanent solution to the disease.
There is no doubt that the lockdown of cities, with people ordered to stay at home, comes with its consequences. In a country where the majority of the populace depends on what they earn daily for their sustenance and that of their families, with savings at zero level, a stay-at-home order could be challenging. This explains why Nigerians are agitated after three weeks of lockdown, with one more week to go and the possibility of another extension. As they say, a hungry man is an angry man. Hunger and reason have no meeting point.
Reports of anti-lockdown protests in some states in Nigeria are expected. Nigerians have long proved they cannot endure hunger. This is why the majority is rather looking at the pains of lockdown instead of the benefits. The average man in the street is beginning to compare the consequences of coronavirus and that of hunger, with a great number insinuating that the effects of hunger are more monumental. They have reached a point of fatalism, and, therefore, say: If we stay at home, we die; if we go out, we die. And they prefer to go out to eke out a living, risk contracting coronavirus and bear the consequences.
While one appreciates the feelings of Nigerians, regarding the hardship caused by the lockdown, it is important to state that the stay-at-home order is inevitable. It is a Catch 22. The people, government and the country are losing much from the lockdown. When cities are not functional, with social and business activities at a standstill, the economy suffers. The people, government and the country also lose when lockdown is not implemented, as coronavirus would spread like a wildfire, killing people in their millions, as seen in some countries. Mass death from any disease will disrupt the socio-economic activities of any country, no matter what anybody thinks.
There is the need, therefore, for Nigerians to exercise some restraint at this time of health challenge caused by coronavirus. Inasmuch as the lockdown has caused hardship, Nigerians should look at the benefits. The protests, resistance and criminality by some elements are unnecessary. The danger in blackmailing government into succumbing to the agitation for the opening up of cities and social/business activities, without stopping the spread of coronavirus, will bring about great repercussions. President Buhari was right when he said this. However, there is need to review some of the conditions attached to the lockdown after the expiration of extension period. Government should come up with some ingenious ways to ensure social distancing and basic hygiene, while the cities function. If this is not done in the coming week, one is afraid we may be heading for anarchy. Hungry Nigerians are now averse to reason.
For those looking forward to palliatives, it is important to state that, no matter how government tries, it will not provide this for everybody. The country is not structured to so do. The government has no capacity to do this either. As a stopgap, government at all levels, organisations and individuals who are in a position to help the downtrodden should so do, as humanitarian service. It could be by way of food or cash distribution. The greater the number of people that joins this “save a life” project, the greater the number of people who will get succour.
Coronavirus has taught the world a bitter lesson. Nigeria as a country and Nigerians as a people should learn from this unpleasant experience. There is need for safety nets in families and government. An economy of “from hand to mouth” cannot stand the test of time. The government should do more to lift more Nigerians from poverty. The programme on poverty eradication should not just be mouthed but backed by decisive action. It is when poverty is reduced that people would have the capacity to withstand shock waves. In this regard, the government should put in place basic things that would make the economy private sector-driven. There should be policy direction and action on infrastructure provision. Something must be done about power (electricity), rail transportation and security. Much more should be done towards the diversification of the economy, with continued emphasis on agriculture.
For Nigerians, the main lesson to learn is that the country needs stability to work well. Those who are fanning the embers of disintegration, using politics and ethnicity, should know by now that the country would not survive any major upheaval. The coronavirus lockdown is like a war situation. During war, there is economic blockade. We have heard that hunger is a weapon of war and it has been applied, even in Nigeria in the past. Those born before 1967 and experienced the civil war, from the Biafran end, will better understand what one is saying. Instability, national emergency or war is the worse thing to happen to any nation. Nigerians should use their tongues to count their teeth.