COVID-19: Africa has disappointed the doomsday prophets – Chigbo #Realnews2020Lecture

Thu, Nov 19, 2020
By editor
5 MIN READ

Featured, Health

By Anayo Ezugwu

AS the world continues to battle Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Maureen Chigbo, publisher and editor, Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, has said that Africa has survived the predictions of the Western world. She said that Africa has disappointed the doomsday prophets.

In her welcome address at the Eighth Anniversary Lecture of the Magazine, held on Thursday, November, 19, Chigbo noted that against various predictions that Africa will witness millions of deaths from the virus, the fact is that as at November 10, the death toll for the continent is 45,647 from 1,894,367 reported cases with 1,598,594 recoveries. She said the statistics represented a mixed bag of sadness and relief, there is sadness; because the death of one person is one too many.

“We cannot wish away the pain and loss of human lives, but at the same time, we can draw consolation from the fact that the death toll is not as predicted. The question then is how did Africa disappoint the doomsday prophets? Was it a fluke or as a result of steadfastness and painstaking efforts by African governments and health professionals? Our Guest Lecturer will share his experiences on what transpired as the Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce in Nigeria. He has been at the helm of policy initiatives to contain the spread of the deadly virus in Africa’s most populous nation.

“The anniversary lecture series is one way Realnews contributes to nation building and development by providing a forum for policy change-oriented discussions by professionals, scholars, technocrats and decision-makers on the way forward for our great nation and Africa in general. In 2014, we focused on elections; in 2015 the theme was on the economy, in 2016 the discussion was on security; 2017 was on the challenges of Leadership in Africa, while the lecture in 2018, dwelt on Africa’s political transitions and the economy.

“Last year, the focus was on economic narrative for West Africa beyond politics with the sub-theme: The end of oil: whither the Nigeria economy. Our choice of the 2020 topic: “Managing the COVID-19 Global Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience” is informed by the need to escalate and broaden the conversation on the health challenges facing our region with Nigeria as the regional economic powerhouse. This is against the background of the havoc unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic across the world in all sectors,” she said.

Chigbo appealed to other journalists to ensure that the message from here today is heard in Africa and beyond. “Of course, at Realnews we will ensure that we do our part by giving the widest publicity to this important lecture and the discussions. Realnews boasts of a crop of seasoned journalists, who believe strongly in the tenets and ethics of the profession. We are convinced that journalism as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, can contribute to building a free, fair and just society where fundamental human rights are respected and where citizens enjoy the freedom to pursue their interests without let or hindrance. Our motto at Realnews is: “For God and Humanity”.

“In the past seven years we have kept faith with our Vision and Mission statements. We have investigated and published exclusive stories that cover all sectors of our focus, including politics, oil and gas, business and economy, women and youth etc. We can proudly say that we have done and continue to do our job with the highest sense of responsibility.

“However, the modest success we have recorded at Realnews has come with its share of challenges, especially in fashioning creative ways for sustainable publication in a difficult economic environment with dwindling prospects for advertisement. Consequently, we would like to invite everyone here, especially those who are not already on our mailing list to visit our website and subscribe to our e-Newsletter to enjoy investigative reports on topical development issues rendered in professional style.

“Realnews Magazine is free, but without your support and the public or private sector alike, and civil society, it will not survive! The support can be in form of advertisement, special supplement and special features on your company/organization for publication on our website. We also welcome capacity building programmes for our staff to serve our clients better.

“Realnews is also into media consultancy; writing of books and biographies, and image survey for companies. Over the years, the books we have published include Federal Road Safety Commission in the Eyes of the Media,  Volumes 1 – 3; Pathways to Political and Economic Development of Africa, and Paragon of Journalism Volumes 1 and 2.  We are working on several manuscripts and require sponsors for their publication.

“These are some of the ways we raise money for our free-source on-line publication, with investigative journalism, as our first-love. In addition, we also welcome whistle-blowers in the world of Realnews Magazine. Rest assured that all information provided would be handled with the highest sense of responsibility and confidentiality.”

– Nov. 19, 2020 @ 11:15 GMT |

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