▪️Ancient philosophers and writers believed that one should opt
for the lesser evil, when one had difficulties making a decision
between two evils.
▪️According to them, there is always a higher choice available,
so that of the two evils, it’s more reasonable and safer to choose
the lesser.
▪️Conversely, Charles Spurgeon prefers that “of two evils, one
should choose neither,” and this is perhaps because if one chooses
the lesser of the two evils, one is still choosing evil.
▪️Charles Caleb Colton explains this in a more complicated way:
“Of two evils, it is perhaps less injurious to society, that good
doctrine should be accompanied by a bad life, than that a good life
should lend its support to a bad doctrine.”
▪️This is similar to the situation we have found ourselves in
Nigeria today as we prepare to face relaxed COVID-19 pandemic
lockdown restrictions from Monday, May 04, 2020. ▪️See “BREAKING:
Buhari relaxes lockdown of Lagos, FCT, Ogun” (27/04/2020:
www.thenationonlineng.net).
▪️I have just read, listened to and watched the public statement
issued by the Nigerian opposition CUPP rejecting the decision of
the President of the FRN, to relax lockdown restrictions in Lagos,
Ogun and Abuja. (02/05/2020: “Coronavirus: CUPP Tackles Buhari,
Rejects Relaxation of Lockdown” (www.allnews.ng)
▪️The CUPP statement is no doubt very intense and
thought-provoking.
▪️But the truth remains that more Nigerians are now dying, not
from covid-19, but from hunger and starvation-induced by government
directives requiring stay-at-home-without provision of necessary
and meaningful palliatives.
▪️There has hardly been any concrete or convincing evidence that
Government has provided any palliatives for those people who truly
need the palliatives in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun that government has
kept under lockdown for about 5 weeks now, since March 30,
2020.
▪️See “Nigeria announces lockdown of major cities to curb
coronavirus” (aljazeera.com)
▪️Statistics show that about 60 percent of the people who have
been on the mandatory quarantine/lockdown inside their homes for
the past 5 weeks, are persons who otherwise live from hand to
mouth, daily bread earners, and who right now have no food to eat,
and no one anywhere to give them food or money to buy food and eat
to be able to remain at home longer than the 5 weeks.
▪️If the various Banks, instead of making (as they did)
donations that never got any close to the vulnerable people, had
used their customers’ BVN and account details to distribute those
monies to poor Nigerian citizens who are the banks’ customers,
something meaningful would have been there for many poor Nigerians
to continue to eat, manage, and be able to endure any further
extension of a 5-week-old lockdown that came without food from the
government whose duty it primarily is to provide for the
people.
▪️See “Three banks commit over N500b to stem impact of Covid-19
pandemic” (www.guardian.ng); (2). “UBA to donate N5b for fight
against COVID-19 in Africa” (www.businessamlive.com); (3).
“COVID-19: Banks, private sector operators provide funding,
capacity building (www.businessday.ng).
▪️I have done my personal survey, because I live with and among
the masses of the people of Nigeria, because I too am a member
thereof.
▪️The truth is that over 97 percent of members of the masses
want lockdown restrictions immediately relaxed.
▪️Yet, 100 percent want to stay alive after relaxation of
restrictions ▪️”How do we strike a reasonable, safe balance?” is
the one trillion Naira question!
▪️In my opinion, neither the President of FRN nor the opposition
CUPP has given a clear satisfactory answer to our worries and
fears.
♦️On the one hand, Mr President tells us to go out from
04/05/2020 and make a living for ourselves, albeit under certain
terms and conditions, but to what extent are we assured that this
option would not turn out catastrophic, considering rampant news of
steadily increasing covid-19 infections in Nigeria?
♦️On the other hand, the opposition CUPP tells the president to
continue to keep us at home even after 5 weeks of stay at home, but
fails to tell us how much longer we should remain at home, and
without proffering any solutions on how poor Nigerians and their
hungering family members and relatives, can have something to eat
during a situation of prolonged stay at home.
▪️The question is then thrown up: who loves Nigerians more — is
it the opposition CUPP which has asked us to remain at home IN
HUNGER in order to avert further spread of COVID-19, or our
President who has chosen to relax lockdown restrictions in order to
avert massive death from hunger and starvation albeit at a higher
risk of COVID-19 infections?
▪️See “Why Buhari relaxed lockdown on Lagos, Ogun, FCT – Garba
Shehu” (03/05/2020: youtube.com).
▪️To answer this question, one may want to look at the near
analogical query posed by writer, Laura Sebastian: “Is it better to
have your life ended by someone who hates you or by someone who
loves you?”
▪️The problem with Laura Sebastine’s question is that it fails
to answer the earlier question as to who loves us more and who
hates us more
▪️Besides, the truth remains that there are only two options
available for us to choose from; either way, there are serious
implications.
▪️Unfortunately, I’m deeply disappointed that we just have to
settle for one of those two evils. To this end, I have reluctantly
considered it to be a lesser evil, the little relaxation of
lockdown, as suggested by the President, since it is obvious that
Government has not done anything that has helped vulnerable
citizens to have something to eat at home, and government just
can’t do anything for the citizens if stay-at-home is prolonged any
further.
▪️However, in settling for this option aimed at saving us from
hunger-induced massive deaths, the words of Max Lerner must
constantly ring in our ears: *”if you choose the lesser of two
evils, always remember that it is still an evil, and not good.”
▪️Accordingly, we must (in our very best interest) work harder
to continue to observe social distancing and other safety
guidelines.
▪️I am however exceedingly and helplessly confused, because
while I pray and want my fellow countrymen and women to be free of
COVID-19, even as they go out, I nevertheless do not want them to
perish out of hunger and starvation arising from stay-at-home
conditions.
▪️All in all, world ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our
country’s appalling backwardness beyond the imaginable.
▪️May God save Nigeria and give us the wisdom to come out of
this hopelessness and helplessness. Amen ?
Respectfully,
Sylvester Udemezue
(udems)
udemsyl@hotmail.com.
(03/05/2020)
▪️Ancient philosophers and writers believed that one should opt
for the lesser evil, when one had difficulties making a decision
between two evils.
▪️According to them, there is always a higher choice available,
so that of the two evils, it’s more reasonable and safer to choose
the lesser.
▪️Conversely, Charles Spurgeon prefers that “of two evils, one
should choose neither,” and this is perhaps because if one chooses
the lesser of the two evils, one is still choosing evil.
▪️Charles Caleb Colton explains this in a more complicated way:
“Of two evils, it is perhaps less injurious to society, that good
doctrine should be accompanied by a bad life, than that a good life
should lend its support to a bad doctrine.”
▪️This is similar to the situation we have found ourselves in
Nigeria today as we prepare to face relaxed COVID-19 pandemic
lockdown restrictions from Monday, May 04, 2020. ▪️See “BREAKING:
Buhari relaxes lockdown of Lagos, FCT, Ogun” (27/04/2020:
www.thenationonlineng.net).
▪️I have just read, listened to and watched the public statement
issued by the Nigerian opposition CUPP rejecting the decision of
the President of the FRN, to relax lockdown restrictions in Lagos,
Ogun and Abuja. (02/05/2020: “Coronavirus: CUPP Tackles Buhari,
Rejects Relaxation of Lockdown” (www.allnews.ng)
▪️The CUPP statement is no doubt very intense and
thought-provoking.
▪️But the truth remains that more Nigerians are now dying, not
from covid-19, but from hunger and starvation-induced by government
directives requiring stay-at-home-without provision of necessary
and meaningful palliatives.
▪️There has hardly been any concrete or convincing evidence that
Government has provided any palliatives for those people who truly
need the palliatives in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun that government has
kept under lockdown for about 5 weeks now, since March 30,
2020.
▪️See “Nigeria announces lockdown of major cities to curb
coronavirus” (aljazeera.com)
▪️Statistics show that about 60 percent of the people who have
been on the mandatory quarantine/lockdown inside their homes for
the past 5 weeks, are persons who otherwise live from hand to
mouth, daily bread earners, and who right now have no food to eat,
and no one anywhere to give them food or money to buy food and eat
to be able to remain at home longer than the 5 weeks.
▪️If the various Banks, instead of making (as they did)
donations that never got any close to the vulnerable people, had
used their customers’ BVN and account details to distribute those
monies to poor Nigerian citizens who are the banks’ customers,
something meaningful would have been there for many poor Nigerians
to continue to eat, manage, and be able to endure any further
extension of a 5-week-old lockdown that came without food from the
government whose duty it primarily is to provide for the
people.
▪️See “Three banks commit over N500b to stem impact of Covid-19
pandemic” (www.guardian.ng); (2). “UBA to donate N5b for fight
against COVID-19 in Africa” (www.businessamlive.com); (3).
“COVID-19: Banks, private sector operators provide funding,
capacity building (www.businessday.ng).
▪️I have done my personal survey, because I live with and among
the masses of the people of Nigeria, because I too am a member
thereof.
▪️The truth is that over 97 percent of members of the masses
want lockdown restrictions immediately relaxed.
▪️Yet, 100 percent want to stay alive after relaxation of
restrictions ▪️”How do we strike a reasonable, safe balance?” is
the one trillion Naira question!
▪️In my opinion, neither the President of FRN nor the opposition
CUPP has given a clear satisfactory answer to our worries and
fears.
♦️On the one hand, Mr President tells us to go out from
04/05/2020 and make a living for ourselves, albeit under certain
terms and conditions, but to what extent are we assured that this
option would not turn out catastrophic, considering rampant news of
steadily increasing covid-19 infections in Nigeria?
♦️On the other hand, the opposition CUPP tells the president to
continue to keep us at home even after 5 weeks of stay at home, but
fails to tell us how much longer we should remain at home, and
without proffering any solutions on how poor Nigerians and their
hungering family members and relatives, can have something to eat
during a situation of prolonged stay at home.
▪️The question is then thrown up: who loves Nigerians more — is
it the opposition CUPP which has asked us to remain at home IN
HUNGER in order to avert further spread of COVID-19, or our
President who has chosen to relax lockdown restrictions in order to
avert massive death from hunger and starvation albeit at a higher
risk of COVID-19 infections?
▪️See “Why Buhari relaxed lockdown on Lagos, Ogun, FCT – Garba
Shehu” (03/05/2020: youtube.com).
▪️To answer this question, one may want to look at the near
analogical query posed by writer, Laura Sebastian: “Is it better to
have your life ended by someone who hates you or by someone who
loves you?”
▪️The problem with Laura Sebastine’s question is that it fails
to answer the earlier question as to who loves us more and who
hates us more
▪️Besides, the truth remains that there are only two options
available for us to choose from; either way, there are serious
implications.
▪️Unfortunately, I’m deeply disappointed that we just have to
settle for one of those two evils. To this end, I have reluctantly
considered it to be a lesser evil, the little relaxation of
lockdown, as suggested by the President, since it is obvious that
Government has not done anything that has helped vulnerable
citizens to have something to eat at home, and government just
can’t do anything for the citizens if stay-at-home is prolonged any
further.
▪️However, in settling for this option aimed at saving us from
hunger-induced massive deaths, the words of Max Lerner must
constantly ring in our ears: *”if you choose the lesser of two
evils, always remember that it is still an evil, and not good.”
▪️Accordingly, we must (in our very best interest) work harder
to continue to observe social distancing and other safety
guidelines.
▪️I am however exceedingly and helplessly confused, because
while I pray and want my fellow countrymen and women to be free of
COVID-19, even as they go out, I nevertheless do not want them to
perish out of hunger and starvation arising from stay-at-home
conditions.
▪️All in all, world ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our
country’s appalling backwardness beyond the imaginable.
▪️May God save Nigeria and give us the wisdom to come out of
this hopelessness and helplessness. Amen ?
Respectfully,
Sylvester Udemezue
(udems)
udemsyl@hotmail.com.
(03/05/2020)