Lagos roads deserted as Nigeria locks down its commercial hub

BY OUR EDITOR

Africa’s largest city Lagos was deserted Tuesday after Nigeria locked down its economic hub in the continent’s latest effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Businesses were closed, markets abandoned and streets empty as the usually chaotic megacity of 20 million shuddered to a halt on the first full day of a two-week shutdown.

Police in protective equipment manned checkpoints, trucks carrying non-essential items were turned back and youths were spotted playing football on a usually traffic-clogged highway.

The lockdown in Nigeria – which also covers the capital Abuja – is one of Africa’s most ambitious efforts at social distancing, after 135 cases and two deaths were confirmed in the country.

Enforcing the stay-at-home order in the overcrowded slums of Lagos will be a mammoth challenge as millions of people depend on their daily earnings to survive.

“It is like putting people in prison,” minibus taxi driver Mutiu Adisa said. “I don’t know how people can survive for two weeks without working to make money.”

READ: BREAKING: Buhari shuts down Lagos, Abuja, Ogun for 2 weeks over Coronavirus

Officials insist the draconian measures are needed urgently to ward off an explosion in infections that could easily overwhelm the weak health system in Africa’s most populous nation.

“To reduce the number of people with coronavirus, we know they need to stop movement,” 60-year-old engineer Ogun Nubi Victor said.

“But there is no money for the citizens, people are just sitting at home, with nothing to eat.”

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, addressing the nation Sunday for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the country, a month ago, announced almost total lock-down of two states, Lagos and Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“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,” Buhari announced.

In an attempt to ease the pain, Lagos state authorities have pledged to supply basic food rations to some 200,000 of the city’s neediest households.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on his Twitter handle that the state’s welfare package hopes to cover six persons per household, making it a total of 1.2 million people.

He said: “The stimulus package will contain bags of rice, beans, garri, bread, dry pepper, drinking water and vitamins.

“We want each ration to last for 14 days as we continue to evaluate the impact of #COVID19.

“Please stay home with your loved ones. We want the best for you.”

It remains to be seen how well this measure will be implemented.

(Daily Mail/AFP)