“Based on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, I am directing the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11pm on Monday, 30th March 2020.
“This restriction will also apply to Ogun State due to its close proximity to Lagos and the high traffic between the two States.
“All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes. Travel to or from other states should be postponed. All businesses and offices within these locations should be fully closed during this period.”
With the above words, President Muhammadu Buhari on March 29, 2020, in a nationwide broadcast, declared a lockdown on Lagos State and the FCT, as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The lockdown which took effect on this day, one year ago, followed the rise of confirmed cases of the virus from one on February 27, 2020 when the index case was recorded, to 97 on the morning of March 29, 2020 and the first death on March 23, 2020.
Since the declaration of the first lockdown one year ago, there have been a lot of developments around the management of the pandemic. We bring you some of the highlights.
Zero to 71 testing labs
From not having a single laboratory that could carry out COVID-19 tests, Nigeria has in the last one year set up 71 testing laboratories across the country.
Record of cases
As of 12am March 30, 2021, Nigeria has recorded 162,641 confirmed cases of the virus, 150,466 cases have been discharged and 2049 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while there are 10,126 active cases. So far, 1,727,467 people representing less than 1 percent of the population have been tested.
Boom for hand sanitizers, facemasks, thermometer
While the pandemic negatively impacted a lot of businesses, many of which are still trying to recover, it opened new vistas for brisk business for those involved in the production and sales of items such as face masks, hand sanitisers, hand-held thermometers and hand gloves, many of who are still in business as use of and adherence to non-clinical preventive measures is still in force.
High recovery, low mortality rate
Going by the records, Nigeria’s COVID-19 recovery rate is 85.5 percent while mortality rate is 1.2 percent, one of the lowest in Africa, compared to South Africa’s 49,901 deaths, Egypt 10,541 deaths, Morocco 8,618 deaths, and Tunisia 7,873 deaths.
Benue’s controversial index case
On March 28, 2020, Benue State recorded its first index case, a female returnee from the United Kingdom. The case would later become controversial as the patient challenged her result, insisting she didn’t test positive to the virus. She was held in isolation for over 50 days.
Kano index case spreads panic
In April, the index case of COVID-19 was reported in Kano State. The patient was a 75-year-old former diplomat. He had travelled to Abuja, Lagos and Kano, prior to his being confirmed positive and had in the two weeks after his trips, had several engagements with family and friends, attended a wedding and jumaat prayers. The revelation of his activities had set panic waves among those who interacted with him. Also in Kano, three person suspected to be infected with COVID-19 deserted their homes where they were advised to self-isolate and could not be traced by officials of the state Rapid Response Team (RRT).
Legislation suffers setback
In May 2020, the National Assembly, specifically the House of Representatives came under fire over an alleged attempt to copy the Singapore Infectious Disease Act of 1977 to replace the Quarantine Act, a bill Nigerians said had provisions that infringed on the rights of citizens. The bill was consequently dropped.
Patients protest in Gombe
In June 2020, COVID-19 patients at the Federal Teaching Hospital and Kwadon Isolation Centre in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State took to the streets to protest alleged poor treatment by staff of the isolation centres. They allegedly destroyed some equipment in their ward and blocked the Gombe/Biu road, chanting anti-government songs, in protest.
Virus claims Abba Kyari
The Chief of Staff to the president, Mallam Abba Kyari was one of the high profile persons claimed by the virus in the early days. Kyari served the president from August 2015 to April 17, 2020, when he died of COVID-19 complications at the age of 67. His positive diagnosis and subsequent death of the virus created panic in government quarters. He had visited Germany in early March with a delegation of other Nigerian officials for meetings with Siemens AG and attended meetings with senior government officials after his return to Nigeria, following which he was diagnosed as having contracted the new coronavirus.
FG donates N10bn to Lagos
The Federal Government released N10 billion grant to Lagos State to increase its capacity to respond to control and contain the outbreak. Lagos has remained the epicentre of the virus, recording the highest number of cases and deaths.
Kogi quarantines NCDC officials
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State in May 2020, ordered that officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) who visited the state be quarantined at the state’s isolation centre. The team said it was in the state to present a letter titled “Deployment of rapid response squad to help in fighting Covid-19” and to ascertain the true status of Kogi as a covid-19-free state. The state had challenged the existence of the virus and insisted that no one had the virus in the state.
Private sector donate billions to fight virus
Some wealthy Nigerians and organisations, including banks, donated billions of Naira to help fund medical centres and provide essential materials necessary to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The United Bank for Africa (UBA) gave a donation of N5 billion while others including Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Herbert Wigwe, Segun Agbaje and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, all contributed N1 billion each to support the government in curtailing the pandemic.
Akindele, Marley arrested for violating COVID-19 rules
In April 2020, operatives of the Lagos State Police Command arrested popular actress, Funke Akindele Bello, for allegedly hosting a birthday party at her home during the lockdown. Her arrest followed the circulation of a viral video showing a large number of persons mainly in the entertainment industry in an estate, along Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki axis, Lagos, celebrating a birthday party organised by the actress and her husband. She was charged to court alongside her husband and fined N100,000 each in addition to to 14 days Community Service after which they were to observe a 14-day isolation period. Popular musician, Naira Marley was also arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for flouting the interstate travel ban when he flew to Abuja via a private jet for a drive-by concert.
Domestic flights resume operations
In July 2020, airports in Nigeria resumed domestic flights after a three-month-long lockdown was implemented by the government. Commercial flights were suspended by the Nigerian Government in March in a bid to curb the pandemic outbreak in the state.
Mobs break palliatives warehouses
In October 2020, while the #EndSARS protest was raging, mobs broke into warehouses in at least nine states and Abuja to cart away food items including rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, noodles, and other goods, alleged to be palliatives that were meant to be distributed to citizens to cushion the effects of the lockdown and pandemic.
Buhari signs COVID-19 regulations law
In January 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the COVID-19 health protection regulations Act 2021 to provide a basis for the prosecution of defaulters of COVID-19 regulations. Among others, Section 34 of the law prescribes a fine or six months imprisonment term or both, for offenders.
55 virus variants
As at February 2021, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said there are 55 confirmed lineages of the COVID-19 causing virus, SARS-COV-2 in the country.
AstraZeneca vaccine arrives Nigeria
On Tuesday March 2, Nigeria took delivery of 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, making it the third African country to benefit from the COVAX programme after Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. Vaccinations commenced on March 5.
Buhari, Osinbajo inoculated
On March 6, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, received jabs of the COVID-19 vaccines at the State House, Abuja.
513,266 vaccinated so far
As of March 29, 2021, 513,266 Nigerians have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in 35 states of the country and the FCT, with the exception of Kogi state.
