Following the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria, some non-pharmaceutical protocols were adopted by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to stop the spread of the virus. Throughout its regular national briefings so far, the PTF on COVID-19 has consistently appealed to Nigerians to obey such protocols which include the wearing of nose mask in public, the washing of hands under running water with soap, the keeping of social and physical distancing, and the avoidance of being in crowded places, among others. Unfortunately, many Nigerians have not been obeying these protocols, and the PTF has not hidden its displeasure over this unpatriotic behaviour.
The reluctance to wear nose mask in public places and in large gathering of people has, therefore, become a big challenge militating against the efforts of both the federal and state governments to stop the further spread of the deadly coronavirus. Incidentally, Nigeria is not alone in this low level of compliance with the wearing of face masks, as some other countries of the world are also experiencing the same challenge. The low level of compliance has consequently, become a source of global concern, hence the idea of having a ‘World Mask Week’ became necessary.
Today Friday, August 14, marks the end of a globally-organised week-long public awareness campaign on wearing of face mask tagged World Mask Week which began last week Friday, August 7, 2020. The aim of the World Mask Week is “to inspire global movement to wear face coverings in public”. In actual fact, the week-long campaign was an initiative of many partner organisations such as the Pandemic Action Network, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US CDC, Africa CDC, the CDC Foundation, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Facebook, Google, Global Citizen, and over 40 other partner organisations (See https://africacdc.org/news-item/world-mask-week-aims-to-inspire-global-movement-to-wear-face-coverings-in-public/.
The World Mask Week campaign was a compelling-awareness and enlightenment exercise, given the controversy surrounding the wearing of mask in some parts of the world. The politicisation and jettisoning of the wearing of nose mask in some countries, has remained a big and troubling challenge in curbing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic across the world. In a very well propagated, notorious, embarrassing and unscientific manner, three world leaders namely the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump; President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro; and the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, dismissed the wearing of marks in ways that also discouraged many of their citizens from wearing such. Yet, the wearing of nose mask has been proven and recognised globally as a potent means of stopping the spread of COVID-19. But unfortunately, a sizeable number of people across the world do not see it so.
In the United States of America for example, there are some states and counties where the wearing of masks has not been made mandatory. The governors and mayors of such areas have remained adamant over calls to make the wearing of mask mandatory amidst the high number of daily deaths recorded. Although, such high number of deaths amply demonstrated the reality of COVID-19, some people stubbornly refuse to wear mask, seeing the wearing of such mask as infringing on their democratic rights. But this is taking their freedom or liberty too far, as it actually akin to crossing the red line in the exercise of such freedom. This is because their excesses (non-compliance) constitute serious danger to other people’s right to life, which is non-negotiable. Unfortunately, many people in the US and other countries have had to suffer severely from the deadly virus before accepting its reality. Some had to apologise for downplaying the deadly nature of the virus, while some others did not have the opportunity to be alive to regret their action of doubting the ravaging disease.
It is against the background of all these that one can appreciate the significance of the World Mask Week. Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the World Mask Week using the #MaskOnNaija. Two separate powerful statements from the honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, were released to encourage Nigerians to always wear their marks. The minister’s statement reads, “the appropriate use of face masks is one of the most comprehensive non-pharmaceutical preventive and control measures adopted to limit the spread of COVID-19”. This is a good message which all Nigerians need to welcome and put into practice.
On the part of the Director-General of NCDC, he restated his often quoted apt statement that “wearing a mask is less cumbersome than being on a ventilator” See, https://web.facebook.com/NCDCgov/photos/pcb.3492858200777178/3492857804110551/?type=3&theater. And if you think a mask is inconveniencing, as he also always said, try a ventilator.
Although, the week-long campaign received media attention, it is doubtful if the expected level of behaviour modification and compliance of Nigerians is appreciable. Prior to the World Mask Week, the NCDC has been sending out appropriate text messages to Nigerians. Two of such messages read: “Wearing a mask helps protect us from the droplets that carry the COVID-19 virus. Please Take Responsibility for your health and for your loved ones”; and the second is: “Ease of lockdown does NOT mean that COVID-19 is over. Take Responsibility. Cover your nose/mouth with a mask…”
In spite of these messages, a lot of Nigerians move about without any mask even when entering public transport such as buses and taxis that carry other passengers. And among those who would count themselves as complying with the wearing of mask guideline, the high level of abuse is irritating. Some just pretend to be complying by putting it under their chin (jaw). Some others just cover their mouth leaving the nose. Again, some others who put it on appropriately, unfortunately too remove it when they want to speak to people standing very close to them. This means that such people near them can get the droplets if not without a mask. This therefore defeats the essence of wearing the mask in the first place. Many politicians and some government officials are guilty of this practice. Some choristers in many of our worship centres are also guilty of this practice. They should at least use a face shield if the mask is pulling off the mouth while singing.
The most infuriating is among those who ought to obey easily or expected to know better. These are people in worship centres who while entering with their masks on, quickly put it under their chin as soon as they settle down for worship. The case of what happened in one worship centre was so disgraceful last week. As the service was going on, the officiating minister who is an Archbishop made a passionate appeal to members of his congregation to make sure that they wear their masks properly by covering their mouth and nose. Right there standing before the Archbishop were two men (one elderly and the other middle aged), who never adjusted their wrongly placed masks even in front of a television camera covering the service for viewers across the entire world. The two men kept participating in the worship as if they were exempted from the directive of the Archbishop. By the way, if the elderly man felt inconvenienced wearing a mask, why bother to come to the place when people of his age were asked to stay home. There is no reason why the Church wardens should not enforce the directive of the Archbishop with some measure of authority. On no account should this embarrassing behavior happen again.
Nigerians have a long way to go, if this type of behavior is observed before a minister of God with impunity. It is arguable if this type of people will ever obey any government directive or act in ways to promote the public goods since their concern will always be self and self alone. It is even worse with the prevailing high level of trust-deficit between the rulers and the ruled in our society.
The government needs to work harder to encourage the people to obey the non-pharmaceutical protocols especially the wearing of face mask. This is not America where its current president is not giving leadership-by-example with respect to the wearing of mask except when it suits him. The wearing of face mask should be enforced strictly in Nigeria until this coronavirus storms are over. It is only then, that the World Mask Week (August 7-14, 2020) would have achieved its purpose.
•Prof. Isaac N. Obasi, a public policy expert (& former columnist in the Daily Trust, Abuja, March 2003 to October 2006, & Daily Champion, Lagos, April 2005 to December 2008), is of the Department of Public Administration, University of Abuja. Email: nnamdizik@gmail.com