The COVID-19 Pandemic has taken a toll on society and the economy. We now have a new normal where we have to stay at home in a nationwide lockdown. The impact of this new normal has also affected individuals, businesses and government revenues, etc. With limited medical infrastructures that are not equipped with sufficient with ventilators, testing kits, etc. It has limited the number of people tested and we don’t know when the pandemic will end.

The Government has tried to dish out palliatives to the most vulnerable of its citizens, some wealthy individuals have also expressed high-level philanthropism/patriotism by donating to support the government to reduce the impact on the people. Even though their efforts could be 20% helpful, there is 80% for both the government and its citizenry to help fight the pandemic and reduce the negative impact.

There is a need for a systematic opening of the state’s economy. They cannot lock people down for too long because it is in our nature as humans to be free. For the government to avoid agitation by its citizens in the coming weeks, the government needs to have a strategic framework to run their local economy even amidst the pandemic. You will all agree with me that no matter what the government gives as palliatives, either food items, money, etc.

They cannot sustain it. The weight is already much on the nation’s economy which was dwindling and if I am given the latitude to say we were already in an “Economic Pandemic” before the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic. You will also agree with me that the country is indebted, leaving us with a foreign debt of $80 billion. Hence, there is a need for our government to look inward and be innovative, if not they can’t run the government talks less about paying salaries in the coming months.

Based on the above premise, allow me to recommend the following ways that can help fight the pandemic and reduce the economic impact on the country.

1. The Government should Invest in Agriculture/Storage
2. Segmentation of opening Local Economy within States
3. Invest in Local Engineers

1. The Government should invest in Agriculture/Storage: In this material time, the government can squeeze from its limited resources to subsidize farm inputs like fertilizer, herbicides, fungicides. Machines like tractors, etc. for farmers. It is now imperative for the government to save for rainy days because they will always come. The government should start investing in storage reserves where they can buy crops during harvest and reserve grains for rainy days. Some state government has abandoned companies in their states that have silo’s, they can rent/convert them for storage so that when times like this comes again, they will have enough to share as food palliative.

2. Segmentation of opening Local Economy within States: Goods sold in the market are categories into essentials and non-essential goods. In the pandemic, only businesses that sell essential goods are priorities because they are household items that people need to survive in the lockdown. The government can open the state’s economy by the local government by the local government where all categories of goods are sold in order to save small businesses from crashing. But before that, the government must have the data of local government free from suspected cases and must adhere to the guidelines of wearing a facemask, having hand washing buckets in every shop and offices, and are using hand sanitizers. When they are sure and based on their findings, they can ask that the local government to open and operate for 3 weeks straight under the watch of security personal to avoid crossing over from other neighboring local government. After 3 weeks, if they find no case, the government can open the next local government free from suspected cases. Any local government found with cases should be in continuous lockdown and that will help to reduce search/investigation which will reduce the cost of handling the pandemic. 

3. Invest in Local Engineer’s: There is a need for the government to partner with private inventors and innovators who have the skill and the willpower to produce some medical equipment we need to fight the pandemic. Most of them need financial support. The government can fund the production of ventilators, testing kits, etc. The government can make it a point of duty to identify individuals with engineering skills to fund them every year to invent machinery in every ramification of its economy to save the cost of importation. This means that the government should start investing in research to avoid the fire brigade approach, which most time slows down the remedy to problems like COVID-19 pandemic.

Dakadieng A. Adams

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