Copy and paste syndrome, enemy of ingenuity and bane of nigeria’s fight aganinst covid-19

Copy and paste syndrome is a misnomer that is fast disintegrating our sense of ingenuity as Nigerians. It is an epidemic on its own! Copy and paste in this context simply means the introduction of a policy without modification to suit the peculiarities of an environment towards meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the end- users and achieving the goal.

Virtually all sectors of our nation had suffered from this syndrome. Educational policies are tinkered with such that today vital traditional subjects which qualify candidates for admission and help in meeting future challenges are played down to the detriment of the socio-economic development of the country.

Our higher institutions are also hosts to this deadly syndrome. Recently and prominent among which is the introduction of IPPIS as a platform for the payment of staff of Federal government, which in the opinion of Government, is aimed at curbing corruption but dangerously left out the peculiarities of the nature of engagement of the University lecturers.

The copy and paste syndrome birthed the on-going strike by the University lecturers. A modification of the IPPIS template or a marriage of the IPPIS with the UTAS proposed by the Union would have saved the nation the current imbroglio. Sadly enough, laboratories which are supposed to help in the fight against COVID-19 are shut and the expected catalysts to the needed solution are exposed to hunger, inhuman treatment and abuse of self-esteem capable of causing intellectual erosion.

We have equally seen situations whereby our political leaders construct bridges, fly-over’s in needless areas! In many of such cases, the tax payers’ money goes down the drain without minimum benefits. This has slowed down the progress of our nation! Individuals and families who totally adopt the strategies of others forgetting that no two destinies and no two homes are the same have had their fingers burnt and in some cases, with no remedy.

Coronavirus  pandemic is ravaging the whole world. It has closed the gap between the mighty and those at the lower end of the ladder.  Its effects on the socio-economic well being of the people cannot be over emphasised! Many countries of the world, including our dear country, Nigeria, have lost monumental human and material resources to the COVID-19 pandemic. The multiplier effects are better imagined!

There have been several recommendations on both the preventive and curative approaches to preventing and containing the spread of the corona virus in our country, Nigeria. Virtually all the recommendations and templates being adopted are pointers to the age- long copy and paste syndrome! An effective SWOT analysis using the privileged information we have would have helped us and from there we would have been able to develop a model suitable for us as a sociable people and considering the peculiarities of our economy as a weak economy. This would have evolved strategies and ingenuities towards mitigating the effects of the deadly virus. We need to wake up! The Nigerian forest is a repository of healing! The roots, barks and leaves of tropical tree species have from time immemorial help in curative and preventive medicine. This is furtherance to the word of God in the Bible (Genesis 1:29).

It is no longer news that various drugs for malaria are from our common Neem “dongoyaro”  known as Azadirachta indica while not less than two hundred other species have been investigated and found useful for medicinal purposes. It follows, therefore , that the Nigerian forests can provide the solution the world is waiting for ! Solution to the novel virus can put the country on the world map just as sports did some years ago!

Rather than gulping the imported template hook line and sinker, we should begin to look inward!  It gladdens the heart that some researchers at the University of Ibadan have affirmed the efficacy of Euphorbia Hirta in mitigating the effects of the deadly virus.

Other species have also been recommended by other individuals either arising from native intelligence or spiritual inclinations. Bearing in mind that the vaccines when eventually available cannot guarantee zero mortality, the Nigerian ingenuity using our natural endowments should be activated! Imagine what the price of a ventilator can do to research in Ethnomedicinal and Pharmacognosy! Imagine the difference in psychology between using a test kit that is heralded in controversy and a do-it- yourself protocol! Aside the richness of our forest estates, we are equally blessed with sunshine which is perceived to be inimical to the prowess of the virus.

The current operational template is such that the treatment protocol of patients is shrouded in secrecy. This has grievously fueled the misconception among illiterates and the educated illiterates alike. Many are still under the illusion that COVID-19 is a scam! Why? This can be attributed to the African mentality which centres around  “seeing is believing” In fact, there is a region of the country where you cannot sell any drug be it imported or local except you can affirm that you had suffered from the disease the drug is proclaimed to cure.

Therefore, Nigeria must activate ingenuity to accommodate the peculiarities of our nation! Providing the public with information on basic protocols followed in treating those that were discharged will help greatly in this fight.

All those with potentials to assist in arriving at a potent medicine should be mobilized and the Federal Government must see the continuous delay of payment of salaries of lecturers of Nigerian Universities as consciously or unconsciously fueling the ravaging COVID-19. It is a time to rally support and no time for egoism, tokenism or other considerations. No serious man is ever sentimental in a matter involving life and death! Fight we must fight and win we must win COVID-19!

Dr. Ogunjobi Kayode Michael writes from Abeokuta, Ogun- State.