A consultant psychiatrist at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Kaduna, Omeiza Beida has offered reasons why many Nigerians defy the stay-at-home directive and social distancing advice to prevent spread of Coronavirus.
Beida, who spoke to newsmen on Tuesday, said most Nigerians do not believe in the pandemic.
The psychiatrist said Nigerians believe more in metaphysics and religion than in science.
“Our community has just been programmed to think more of spiritual and metaphysical rather than specifically about science and this cuts across everyone from the educated to the illiterate”
READ ALSO:
Beida, while responding to questions on why many Nigerians have reduced themselves to making hoax calls to the Coronavirus emergency lines provided by the government, said the action had nothing to do with mental illness.
The Lagos State commissioner for health, Akin Abayomi had on Monday lamented that some members of the public were found of making fake calls to the state’s coronavirus hotlines and having fun doing so.
According to him, 80% of the calls received on the Lagos State emergency lines were fake calls from Nigerians who just wanted to have fun.
However, the doctor said the fake calls were due to a lack of believe in the pandemic. He said many erroneously see the virus as the affliction of the wealthy and the powerful.
He said this perception was also a result of poor communication by the government about the disease.
READ ALSO: Anambra Gov’t To Fumigate 65 Markets, Distributes Rice To Residents
He said: “It’s because they do not really understand what is happening, they think it’s a joke. You agree with me that up till now many Nigerians believe that this disease is the disease of the rich so because it’s a disease for the rich they are not likely to get it.
“ But unfortunately that is not true, from the data that we have so far, most of the cases are of people that have gone outside the country and they brought back this into the country,
“I was not surprised to know that Nigerians are making fake calls to the hotlines of NCDC because after restrictions some churches and mosque are still opening. People are still going to church and mosques.”
He said the government had failed to provide adequate sensitization on the disease so that the public could better appreciate the dangers facing the country. issue.
He said Nigeria was still largely a country of “illiterate population,” and people have to be educated on the dangers of the pandemic to prevent further community transmission.
He also called out the Nigerian Orientation Agency (NOA) for not doing a good job of properly informing Nigerians on the coronavirus.
READ ALSO: News Update: First coronavirus case confirmed in Ondo state
“This information should be translated to all the languages in Nigeria and taken down to the grass root, because most people do not understand English.”
Meanwhile over one million people have been infected with COVID-19 with about 65,000 deaths recorded globally.
Follow us on, Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.