Nigerian banks and the imposition of foreign Corona protocols
Have you tried entering any Nigerian bank these days? You will have an experience you will never want to go near bank again. The reason is that the banks have taken their Covid-19 protocols to a primitive, cruel and self-destructive level. It is time they throw away their Covid-19 protocols. I have long said if Corona had been what we were made to believe, probably by now we would have all been dead. But fortunately Africa, for unexplained reasons, has been spared the disasters predicted about the pandemic.
Bankers are like all of us when they leave banking halls. They go to markets, schools, airports, motorparks, shopping malls and places of worship where Covid-19 protocols are thrown to the dogs. What they don’t get from the bank they will still get it from outside the banks. If the rest of Nigerians don’t care about Covid-19 protocols, why should bankers be more Catholic than the Pope?
Schools resumed also with their mad frenzy for observing all Covid-19 protocols. But within a week they have gone back to basics. Students don’t have the discipline, patience and above all, the resources to keep faith with Covid-19 protocols. No one can be religious with hand sanitizer, facemask and hand washing. My children tried it and my Chief gets his facemask soaked in soup daily. He loses bottles of sanitizers daily. At his age there is no way he can understand Covid-19 protocols and will not be made to understand the dangers of Covid-19.
But all in all Covid-19 is past behind us. Social distancing and protocols should be part of individual responsibility. Covid-19 or no Covid-19 we are supposed to exercise distancing and hand washing hygiene. But that does not mean we should promote Covid-19 protocols to religious level.
Our African, and to some extent Nigerian Covid-19 is entirely different from the deadly foreign one. This is the best time to acknowledge the local thing over the deadly foreign one. Ours is more friendly and merciful. The banks should know these and stop their stupid and deceptive lies.
Aliyu Nuhu writes from Abuja, Nigeria.