A federal and state imposed coronavirus-enforced lockdown is being eased today in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun, with an overnight curfew declared by President Muhammadu Buhari kicking off nationwide as well for an initial period of two weeks.

On Day 1 of the easing of restrictions, bank terraces are overcrowded, the crowd is shoving its way past bank security, bodies are rubbing against other bodies at bus stops without a care in the world, folks spotting masks have yanked them off to make small talk with the next person, mask vendors are letting commuters test their masks on their noses to see if they fit before returning them to the vendors, markets are overcrowded, bus drivers are overloading their rickety contraptions, and an ever present road rage means droplets and saliva are flying from Car A into Car B in traffic--seamlessly. 

At the time of writing this, Lagos, the epicenter of the outbreak in Nigeria with 1,107 of the country’s reported total cases of 2,558, is a perfect recipe for the multiplication of the contagious COVID-19. 

All social distancing, physical distancing and hygiene protocols have been hurled out the window in a heartbeat. Masks are only being worn briefly by folks who don’t want law enforcement to apprehend them for not wearing one.

Everywhere you turn in Lagos today, there is anomie, disregard for the guidelines that have been painstakingly issued by the state government every other day, and confusion. 

There’s been sufficient sensitisation across Lagos in the build up to this day. But the streets tell a different story.

There have also been disturbing images of a disregard for the rules in the capital city of Abuja, Onitsha, Anambra, Enugu and a couple of other states.

Ultimately, Nigerians have to learn to take responsibility for their actions as the world battles this pandemic, but maybe the government needs to do more in terms of sensitisation and enforcement. 

The sheer number of poor people in Lagos and elsewhere across Nigeria means that we cannot afford to reverse the decision to ease restrictions in phases. 

The buck now stops with leadership who have to cajole and whip recalcitrant Lagosians or Nigerians into line, if we are really serious about curbing the spread of this virus. 

--Pulse Editor's Opinion is the opinion of an editor of Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the organization Pulse.