GOD BE FOR US ALL!!!

Hello Compatriots!!!

               

During the outbreak of influenza in 1918, the then colonial government in Nigeria did everything possible to curb the spread of the virus. They forcefully invaded the houses of people, to seek out those who had taken ill and had refused medical attention either because they didn’t know if they had contacted the flu or because of their self-image, but this action was vehemently rejected by many Lagosians (residents of Lagos, Nigeria) who interpreted the approach by the government of the day as an unfair intrusion their private zone. The ripple effect of this rejection was that Lagosians, and people from other parts of Nigeria who resided in Lagos at the time of the outbreak, started to run away from Lagos through the major transportation system – Railway.

As the virus continued to spread like wildfire, so did the country feel its impact in every aspect of her life. In the health sector the facilities were stretched beyond their capacities, businesses were shutdown, places of worship, and schools were not left out!!!.

But sadly, the weight of the whole situation was painfully placed on the feeble shoulders of the already weak masses.

Yam, was a staple food in the lower Niger (the lower Niger comprised of what is known today as the southern and eastern parts of Nigeria) but with the advent of the slave masters and then the colonial masters, new foods were introduced as an addition to the already existing ones and amongst those foods was cassava which was hardly cultivated except in the Niger Delta.

From around 1900 there was serious resistance of the colonial imposition of the British. Those resistances were marked by several severe wars that in turn affected the agricultural and trading activities mainly engaged by the native dwellers. During the influenza, people who did not view cassava as a good substitute for the nutritional tubers had no option than to begin to cultivate it as a means of survival.

Emergency they say is the mother of all innovations…..My fellow garium 5 solution (garri) lovers, you should be interested in knowing that the spread and popularity of cassava came as a result of serious hunger pangs due to several wars between the southerners and the colonial government which affected agriculture. And since cassava thrives in any condition, cheaper to harvest and doesn’t require much time and attention like the rich tubers of yam, it became a viable option for survival in such times.

The effects of the 1918 outbreak were felt by all and sundry but especially the masses who were at the mercy of the government. Crime rate was quite minimal though, because as at that time, the main stay of the economy was agriculture and everyone could fend for his immediate family from his farm, unlike these days when we depended on oil but still struggle to feed from it, hence, the economy kept toppling. The medical system in 1918 though stretched to its capacity was efficient unlike now where there are 5 hospital beds per 10,000 citizens in the treatment of corona virus.

             The above-mentioned effects, were all narrowed down to the masses. From inception, the Nigerian peoples had lived communally as a major strategy for survival both economically and culturally, but the lockdown is a simple way of asking people to go hungry because in commercial cities such as Lagos, majority of the dwellers live on a daily wages and stipends and this has led to serious pangs of hunger.

            But, despite all of these negative effects, its amazing to know that families are bonding, our indigenous foods are being appreciated, creativity is largely becoming the order of the day, Ankara for instance, is doing well 😉😉😉

                The presidency on 27 April, 2020, decided to ease the lockdown majorly to reduce the imminent harm on the economy. However, with no cure in sight for the ravaging virus, we must now turn to the words of George Canning who said, “every nation for itself, God be for us all”.

REFRENCES

The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 and the spread of Cassava Cultivation on the Lower Niger: A study in Historical Linkages, A.G Hopkins, Cambridge press.

www.marxist.com/the-impact-on-nigeria-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-socioeconomic-pandemonium.

 garri image/nkaata.com