Pictures May lie but figures Don’t

Covid19 From 3 January 2020 to 14 September 2021, there have been 199,538 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 2,619 deaths-WHO

Road Accidents

Kill  3,648 people-Jan-July 2021-FRSC

Malaria

“There are an estimated 100 million malaria cases with over 300,000 deaths per year in Nigeria- National Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria, AHAPN. Malaria related absenteeism and production losses cost Nigeria close to an estimated $1 billion (N482 billion) loss yearly.

Cholera

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced a total 65,145 suspected cases of cholera, including 2,141 deaths, representing a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 3.3 percent reported from 23 states and the FCT, as of Sept. 2, 2021.

Flood

Thousands and Billions of Naira lost

Fire

Hundreds and Billions of Naira lost

Insecurity

5,800 deaths, while 2,943 people were kidnapped in the first half of 2021 in Nigeria, Nigeria Security Tracker (NST)

Infant Mortality

Each year approximately 262,000 babies die at birth, the world’s second highest national total. Infant mortality currently stands at 69 per 1,000 live births while for under-fives it rises to 128 per 1,000 live births. More than half of the under-five deaths – 64 per cent – result from malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea. Investment in this sector has been high in recent years although the proportion of patients able to access appropriate treatment remains low-UNICEF.

Nigeria has about 512 maternal mortality per 100,000 births, one of the worst in the world, according to health minister Osagie Ehanire.

Debts

Nigeria’s total public debt reaches N33.107trn – DMO

Regardless, football tournaments, weddings, birthday celebrations, Awards, recognitions and celebrations dwarf the atrocities/calamities because Nigerians are very resilient, rugged, determined and undaunted.

Nigerians always find a way where there seems no way. They make jokes out of every situation. The zeal to live, the joy of living and the determination to keep on living catapults them to surmount all hurdles!

The everyday Nigerian cannot be blamed for thinking that government officials, heads of agencies and institutions do not care about them when they see such officials in flashy cars and fine robes.

The ordinary Nigerian may look at officials at the federal and state levels as persons who are indifferent to their plights.

The line separating the rich from the poor in Nigeria just like many other parts of the world is so thin that it is easily obliterated by a morsel of bread.

The rich also cry but the poor in their pains and penury conveniently forgot this reality.

While the less endowed gather in the ghettos for naming ceremonies and enjoy themselves as often as possible, do they expect those on the other side to stay gloomy, depressed and parched?

They are Nigerians too!

The same genealogical genes flows in our Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA!

We are Nigerians. We shall outlive the present challenges and conquer all obstacles on our way to glory land!