Coronavirus: Can the government survive the infodemic?

Sir: Unexpected crises, especially critical ones are capable of breaking an individual as much as a government of the nation. Years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari promised to eradicate corruption, send Boko Haram insurgents into oblivion which he has not been able to achieve.

The government is currently facing a lot of problems which people have been complaining about, including the opposition party. Nevertheless, coronavirus brought more urgent issues to criticize the government.

Covid-19, coronavirus codenamed disease emerged in China, a country that has developed enormously in terms of education, science, and technology, football, and others. Irrespective of these outstanding developments, the epidemic virus was initiated on its land and it has claimed more than two thousand people in China and some uncertain figures in other parts of the world. At the early stages of the virus outbreak, the Chinese government tried to curb it but it still managed to send some Chinese citizens out using the Gravesend bus. Apart from China, countries like Japan, Iran, France, Italy, Germany and the United States of America, have also been tackling Covid-19.

Different countries of the world have earlier been working towards a way of hindering it from entering their countries.
In Nigeria, the government tried to prevent the virus but somehow, unexpectedly, the virus entered the country through Lagos. The same state where Ebola virus got into Nigeria.

There have been several reactions from Nigerians, on a daily newspaper, radio, and television aiming at criticising the government for the predicament of the country, especially the government in power.

The Communist Party of China has been ruling for more than 70 years now and there have been several grudges against the government in the past but the opposition party has not used it as the Achilles Heel to bring down the government. But the opposition party in Nigeria has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for being silent. Nigerians themselves criticized the government as though it had committed the greatest crime.

Coronavirus will not effectively affect Nigerians but the fear of it will. Infodemic will help the virus. Infodemic spreads like harmattan fire here. We should work in hands to get rid of the virus before it clear us at once. We should do the needful first before getting the government to do its part.

Tosin Adesokan wrote from the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.