Author: National Record

The invasion of the corona virus pandemic has altered the world the way we know it. Our world will never remain the same again. The contemporary world of work is in dire straits. There are even greater fears on the future of work. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has reported that the COVID-19 social lockdown measures have affected almost 2.7 billion workers worldwide. This represents around 81 per cent of the world’s workforce. In these circumstances, businesses across a range of economic sectors are facing catastrophic losses. The threats to operations and solvency, among smaller enterprises, make millions of workers vulnerable to income loss and layoffs.

“In making the foregoing categorical testimony against just the security personnel, one is not in any way, trying to shield the Kano state government from taking its due blame, far from it. On the contrary, reports from the fields by some independent observers, clearly implicated the government and its high ranking health officials, in the shoddy arrangements we saw, in trying to contain the rampaging virus.”

The leaders have come from the military and they came along with what someone has called residual militarism and messianic arrogance to the exercise of power. It is a very destructive attitude that tolerates no argument or any kind of asserting individual or collective identity. In all cases, you must beg them to get whatever you want or you risk conquest. That’s what unites Obasanjo and Buhari in terms of attitude to ASUU. IBB is not much different but he is more mellowed or smarter in terms of when to stop.

“COVID-19 has reminded us in a forceful way that health is a fundamental right and attribute that we must all enjoy to be able to have a meaningful life. This pandemic provides us the lesson that we must prioritize the universal right to health and place it at the heart of the workers’ struggle. We recall the constitution of the World Health Organization that recognizes health for all as a fundamental condition for peace and security in the world. COVID-19 teaches clearly that we need the cooperation of all persons and states to achieve health security for the world and its people.”

While it is understandable for Nigeria, less scientifically and technologically endowed, poorly motivated healthcare manpower, with an equally decayed health infrastructure to be overawed by Covid-19; the prevailing circumstances around which the war against the infection is organised appear not only unserious but markedly flawed.

While the immediate task is to find how to cope with the hardships imposed by income challenges, the medium and long terms pose a different kind of challenge. This is the fact that the world of work is being remodelled via the present constraints against physical congregations at work. This emerging world – a virtual world – portends an early arrival of the future of work that has been much hyped in recent times.

Lagos has since the index case maintained the unenviable position with highest daily infections.

Mrs Nwankwo was arraigned on Wednesday before Senior Magistrate Ojo at Yaba Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

“Our findings indicate a trend of febrile [feverish] and respiratory illness that progresses to death within one to two weeks. These deaths occurred in various localities in Kano and are predominantly amongst elderly people with underlying medical conditions. This presentation mirrors severe COVID-19 cases reported around the world.”

The COVID-19 outbreak, the IMF said, has magnified existing vulnerabilities, leading to a historic contraction in real GDP growth and to large external and fiscal financing needs.