Those who take the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a plaything – and they seem to be in the majority in Nigeria – certainly had comic reliefs the past week, to strengthen their unbelief in the pandemic.
The leading “thriller” was President Muhammadu Buhari, who many Nigerians had urged to address the nation on the virus that has infected more than 615,000 and over 28,000 deaths, globally as at the weekend. The other “characters” were, at least, two members of the National Assembly (NASS).
First, the NASS lawmakers. I can’t vouch that the first legislator I watched on WhatsApp was a senator or representative, but he’s contributing to the debate on COVID-19, and had difficulty in pronouncing coronavirus. Instead, he repeatedly called it “coronavarsity” – a “Corona University” of some sorts.
I didn’t see in the members a sign that their colleague’s gaffe meant anything serious. But it’s an instant hit on YouTube, where a Nigerian female “blogger” turned it into a sensation.
As for the second lawmaker, his action was the antithesis of the times. Surely, he wore a face mask. But when pressed by nature, he drew down the mask to the jaw level – exposing the nose and mouth – and released a bombshell of sneeze.
What’s the mask meant for? Isn’t it to prevent uncontrolled sneezing and thus the spread of COVID-19? Well, the lawmaker’s action caused laughter rather than a rebuke from his colleagues!
But on Thursday at the Imo State House of Assembly, when a member started “coughing and sneezing,” and some members abandoned seats, and went for their face masks or handkerchiefs, the Speaker, Collins Chiji, ordered him out of the chamber. Two days prior, the Speaker had advised another member to self-isolate after his recent return from the United Kingdom, where the virus infections have affected Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
Let’s come to President Buhari. When issues of national importance occurred, Nigerians had always craved for him to address them not just headlong and timeously, but in person through broadcasts.
The president had not been forthcoming in such critical times. Rather, he would address the matters via his media aides – core professionals and great guys – but who people think do not suffice for Buhari’s voice or image, as the Commander-in-Chief.
In the wake of COVID-19, Nigerians reminded Buhari about the popular address to the nation. But the president, or his handlers elected to go to Twitter – a platform for the “elite” in the society.
And what did we get? Oh dear! As I write, only a negligible percentage of Nigerians maybe able to recall the message Buhari passed on to an anxious and a frightened citizenry.
But many, through the social media, and by word of mouth, have retweeted, shared and spread – “have you heard what President Buhari said,” as if he committed an awful sin or upbraided Nigerians for calling on him to address them directly on the killer virus.
His offence? That he pronounced COVID-19 as “COVID-1-9,” thereby setting Twitter on fire – the medium he chose to speak to a limited, instead of a wider audience on radio and television.
Many, who assume “infallibility,” jubilated, and judged the scenario as Buhari’s alleged educational deficiency, even as they blamed his media handlers as incompetent in moulding and presenting the president’s image to the public.
Now, the questions: Was Buhari wrong in pronouncing COVID-19 the way he did? Certainly! If he’d been watching the news – just only on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) – he would have grasped the pronunciation correctly.
Does the president’s “faux pas” warrant the attendant glee? Of course! Does it also necessitate the insults on and denigration of his person and character? Absolutely NO! The indulgers went too far.
But who to blame for the fiasco? First, Mr Buhari. He didn’t make, and hasn’t made “speaking to the people” his administrations’ bedrock – as a military Head of State and a civilian President.
In a military dictatorship, that could be excused, as the Decrees the hegemons roll out to hold on to power are louder than voices, and any breaches command severe consequences.
But not so in a civil regime, whose laws can be flouted under the guise of protecting citizens’ fundamental human rights. So, the leader needs to reach out to, and convince the people.
In his nearly five years in the saddle since May 2015, President Buhari has failed in this regard. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect,” which he probably doesn’t fancy.
If he’s been engaging regularly with Nigerians, in flesh and blood, and through broadcasts, mistakes, such as mispronunciation, would be made, and corrections learned along the way.
But not doing so would make any slip the news of the season, and beyond. And exactly what’s transpired aftermath of “COVID-1-9” misspeak that went viral.
Yet, what’s the responsibility of the president’s media handlers in the episode? It’s to ensure that there’re no mistakes in the speech, and its delivery flawless. Were they more attentive, they could have detected the miasma and corrected it before hitting Twitter.
Perhaps they did, but were afraid to point it out, or more interested in getting the message out nonetheless, which, of course, was mired in the hoopla that accompanied the president’s address.
Whichever, the media aides – individually and collectively – should bear the odium of getting Buhari into the public scorn that could be mitigated in an open, and not “secret” address to the nation.
Going forward, they should encourage – they must have done that countless times – and impress it on Buhari the imperative of talking to the people directly. It’s a better and more effective way of communicating his message to the grassroots.
World leaders are burnishing their sagging ratings with COVID-19. Watch how President Donald Trump has turned the virus into advantage through his daily press conference, taking his message to Americans that have awarded him high marks since 2016.
President Buhari may not mimic Mr Trump’s made-for-the-cable braggadocio, but he shouldn’t censor himself from talking to Nigerians, especially at critical junctures, the likes of COVID-19 that’s escalating in confirmed cases in the country.
Buhari’s voice, no matter how some loathe it, serves as the needed direction, and a soothing balm in times of crisis. He should seize that pedestal and address “Fellow Nigerians” regularly!
Last Line: The novel coronavirus has shown that humans are equal. It doesn’t distinguish between man and woman, old and young, black and white, married and single, straight and gay, rich and poor, the able and disabled, and Christian and Muslim.
More importantly, the virus has indicated it’s a “big man” disease, and that our big men and women are afraid to die. But if they must die, let it be in Nigeria, whose rundown health system they’ve wilful neglected. Perhaps, COVID-19 may change all that!
