Effect Of COVID-19 Pandemic On Nigeria Still Unclear – United Nation

The United Nations, UN, has expressed concerns about the effect and true magnitude of the spread of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, saying it was yet unclear.

According to the global body, the quality of response to the disease must match the scale of the crisis.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, who stated this during the launch of Nigeria/UN COVID-19 Basket Fund in Abuja, said:-

“This is a trying moment for all of us as our shared humanity is under threat of COVID-19 pandemic.

‘’Societies around the globe are in turmoil and economies are in a nose-dive. It is still unclear what the true magnitude of the spread and impact of the virus will look like in Nigeria. The available emerging evidence is, however, clear. The only effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic is testing, isolation and contact-tracing.

“From preliminary macro and micro social economic analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to place immense pressure on Nigeria’s healthcare system and will result in a serious economic and fiscal pressure with a risk of a negative social impact, if proactive measures are not taken to prevent, prepare, respond and cushion the economic impact of the pandemic.

“The International Monetary Fund has reassessed the global prospect for growth for 2020 and 2021, declaring that we have entered a recession – as bad as or worse than in 2009.

‘’We must respond decisively, innovatively and together to suppress the spread of the virus and address the socio-economic devastation that COVID-19 is causing in our world today.

“The magnitude of the response must match the scale of the crisis large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive, with country and international responses being guided by the World Health Organization, WHO. And it must be multilateral, with countries showing solidarity to the most vulnerable communities and nations.

“The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis must lead to a different economy.

Everything we do during and after this crisis must be with a strong focus on building resilience, ensuring equal access to social services though systems strengthening, in particular, health systems strengthening, and investments in building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change, and the many other global challenges we face.’’