A Peek into Nigeria’s Policy Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The first COVID case in Nigeria was recorded in Lagos in February 2020. The cases have been on the rise since then with over 71,344 confirmed cases and 1,190 deaths reported by the NCDC as of December 10th, 2020. In Africa, the count for confirmed COVID-19 cases is over 2 million with 53,000+ deaths resulting in a case fatality rate of 2.4%
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the 7th most populous in the world with over 200 million inhabitants. It has the largest economy in Africa and is typically referred to as the ‘Giant of Africa’. With this large population, various guidelines have been put in place to manage the disease such as the implementation of contact tracing, public-private partnerships, and self-isolation guidelines. In addition to following guidelines from the WHO and NCDC, there have also been policy measures put in place to manage both the public health and economic effect of the crises.
As early as March 25th — just 1 month after the first COVID-19 case — the House of Representatives passed the Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill 2020 (HB 835). The bill helps to provide temporary relief to companies and individuals from the adverse effects of the pandemic. This bill passed all 3 readings and was passed to the Senate for concurrence after which it would be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent. The Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill serves 3 main functions:
- Providing tax rebates to companies registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act that do not lay-off their staff between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2020 with the exception of oil and gas companies
- Reduce fiscal bottleneck on the importation of medical necessities
- Defers mortgage payment under the National Housing Fund
This bill will in no doubt be helpful, however, it does not take into consideration the informal sector of employment from which about 60% of Nigeria’s GDP comes from. To address this, the government would need to consider granting small interest-free loans and microfinancing to small businesses
In April 2020, the government also added to its economic response by announcing food assistance and cash transfers of #20,000 to low-income households registered in the National Social Register (NSR). However, the lack of data, logistical, and supply chain hurdles have made this very hard to do. As of October 2020, multiple food assistance donations were still found locked up and mismanaged.
On the health policy side, the House of Representatives introduced the Quarantine Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2020 (HB 836) also known as the Control of Infectious Disease Bill 2020. This bill was introduced by the speaker of the house in April 2020 and passed both first and second reading. After public scrutiny and outrage by multiple human rights groups, the house failed to pass the bill. The bill was said to give disproportionate powers to the Minter of Health and director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Also, it was not properly drafted as human rights organizations pointed out that it had overly ambiguous and unclear language which could be misused for political purposes. This new bill if passed was to supersede the National Quarantine Act of 2004 and Quarantine Act of 1926 which has been the legal framework by which infectious diseases are addressed.
During the time of the scrutiny of the House of Representatives Bill, the Senate also introduced the National Health Emergency Bill 2020. This bill was also met with similar skepticism and pushback by civil and human rights groups. However, the different groups came together to review the bill which was then called the Public Health Emergency Bill. The bill was set to undergo reading in the National Assembly earlier in June 2020 but as of December, there was no information available regarding the progress of the bill.
Given the policy responses and progress so far, it is clear that Nigeria has a long way to go in developing swift laws and policies in response to public health emergencies such as COVID -19. Itis imperative that proper preparation starts way in advance of such circumstances and the National Assembly starts working to modify old laws such as the Quarantine Act of 1926 which may no longer reflect current times. In regards to economic responses, proper supply chain logistics is important for any grassroots work. This can be done by starting with proper data collection and tracking.
Nigeria is beginning to get back to regular day-to-day activities despite the global rise in COVID-19. The announcement of viable vaccines is expected to help control the spread and return the world to what we once knew it as.
**Originally published on December 10, 2020.
Sources
COVID-19 in Nigeria. (2020, December 10). Retrieved from https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/
United Nations (2019). Nigeria. Retrieved from http://data.un.org/en/iso/ng.html
Covid-19: Reps Pass Economic Stimulus Bill. (2020, March 24). Retrieved from https://www.nassnig.org/news/item/1472
Why Nigerian looters are targeting Covid-19 aid. (2020, October 26). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54695568
Nigeria Infectious Disease Bill Seen Risking Abuse in Crackdowns. (2020, May 2). Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-02/nigeria-infectious-disease-bill-seen-risking-abuse-in-crackdowns
Nigerian Civil Society Pushes Back On Draconian Disease Bill. (2020, May 21). Retrieved from https://globalhumanrights.org/blogs/nigerian-civil-society-pushes-back-on-draconian-disease-bill
Taking steps towards developing a public health emergency law. (2020, June). Retrieved from https://www.justice-security.ng/news/taking-steps-towards-developing-public-health-emergency-law
