The main reason why the countries of the Brighton Woods Economic Sanctuary take surprisingly punitive socio-economic decisions unfavorable to citizens of far-flung regions from the Southern Hemisphere where they inhabit (as third world nations) is that they have research-based reasons to conclude that citizens of these regions do nor care to read and keep records of figure-laden decisions taken at international events which they could use to take informed decisions at later dates .when the memories matter. Nigerians have recently hit the social media with taunting indignation since it came to public knowledge that the federal government has only just been able to place an order for 100,000 doses of corona virus vaccines in the face of its intimidating population figures of over 200 million people. Those who have picked up the gung of criticism do so with a hood of self-imposed veil of ignorance over their heads.
Donald John Trump
45th President of the USA
The United States of America, the worst victim of the pandemic from Wuham is on record to have provided funding for the development and production of vaccines to a number of pharmaceutical companies to the tune of nearly nine billion dollars in what an Associate Professor of business Economics and Public Policy at the Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business referred to as huge and “unprecedented”. This hue of funding, as far as Africans are concerned, is not yet known to be our-right grants or a Public, Private Partnership outing. If the later is the case, then poor nations wagging their tails in waiting to cart away affordable corona virus vaccines would have to put on new thinking caps yet. Some of the vaccines, produced by Moderna, known to be of a two-dose type costs between 32-37 dollars per dose. In view of Nigeria’s 2021 total budget figure and the frightening question of excessive borrowing to fund the budget, our caring hearts for the needy vaccines should not be allowed to be too far away from our heads. 32 dollars multiplied by two for 100,000 people at the exchange rate windows that prevail at our Central Bank amounts a scary alarm from the ever hooded faces of the Brighton Woods when cognizance is taken of our population figure. It is not always what it seems, even in the face of the Democrats occupying the Oval Office in the United States of America. If Nigerians would read and remember, there is a relatively recent example to draw from. There will never be the abundance of affordable corona virus vaccines without an extra-monetary price tag. Experiences abound.
Joseph Robinette Biden
The Current and the 46th President of the USA
Rewind backwards to 2015. Former US President of African Extraction, Barrack Obama had blazed the trail as first United States of America black President. Ovations and expectations were high. Nigerian presidential election was lined up for the year. The euphoria of the era of political impossibilities was at high crescendo. Barrack Obama and the Democrats were alleged to have thrown their support behind persistent Nigerian presidential candidate Rtd General Muhammadu Buhari in a contest many thought was going to make or mar Nigeria and possibly plung her into its second civil war and human part harvesters were alleged to be waiting on the wings to plough the nation when it went burst from election crisis. But to the glory of God and a Njger Delta born politician who believed that God had done for him more than he ever deserved, the first ever peaceful civilian to civilian Democratic Governance power transition program took place in Africa’s largest populated nation and biggest economy. While the newly minted civilian leader was preparing to assume office, President Obama invited him to Washington alongside those who mattered in his party, rolled out the red carpets for them and dished out development partnership promises the Nigerian team could hardly find space in their baggage to tuck away. Wary minded International Diplomatic Nigerian analysts tagged it Wetting The Grounds for a deft socioeconomic move. Barely five months into Buhari’s administration the war-baked Rtd General might have begun to pry into the multiple crevices of his diplomatic bags and found only a web of confusion. The World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, all of them known masquerades of Brighton Woods, began to make strong suggestions for the devaluation of Nigeria’s local currency, the Naira. Buhari was known to be beside himself in consternation at the idea of devaluing the national currency of a nation that depended on a monolithic source for her revenue. He was said to have outrightly snubbed the suggestion and turned towards the White House for their strong backing. Mum was his reported reply. Shockingly, America was rumoured to be surreptitiously elbowing allies for a boycott of Nigeria’s crud oil purchase at a time the commodity was selling at a historically all-time low price. The presidency and Central Bank caved in and Nigeria was inched into an economic recession and the rest is now history.
Gen. Mohammadu Buhari: President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
With Africa’s God granted resilience against the corona virus pandemic and the multiple fronts of the economy that need palliative actions, the vaccine’s massive purchase is a project that needs to be handled with our hearts reasonably tucked away from our heads. All hands are needed on the deck for a home-grown vaccine.
By Mathew Abah-Enyi (windsoundafrica@gmail.com)
