Nigerians kicked against President Muhammadu Buhari’s idea about the continuation of the feeding of the school children during the pandemic. They raised their voices to disapprove of the intention because they saw that as unwise. Some questioned why the government should expose school children to the risk of contracting the virus by bringing them to school in order to feed them. Some went as far as calling the programme a scam because they believed that it is set up by the government officials to siphon public funds. All in all, the general public were not in support of the programme. But what could be seen during the flag-off, this initiative is one of the best ways of providing palliatives to these masses, if it is well monitored.

The agitation of Nigerians against this programme may seem too harsh but it helped to shape the way the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDSD) is implementing the programme right now. On Thursday, 14 May, 2020, FMHDSD, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), flagged off the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) at Kuje Central Primary School, Kuje Abuja. At this event, the Minister of FMHDSD, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, explained that the programme targets children in Primary 1 – 3 in public primary schools. She explained that they will work hand in hand with participating states, whereby they will adhere to the structures and data provided by the state for the distribution of food.

The flag-off of this programme annoyed more Nigerians because they didn’t see how food could possibly be distributed to millions of children that fall within this category. Some went as far as accusing the government of going against the demands of the masses, which they saw as dictatorial. But from what happened in Kuje Central Primary School Abuja, it will be noticed that the lockdown feeding of school children is an initiative that alleviate the sufferings of many Nigerians, at least to some extent.

From the video clip of the flag-off shared in FMHDSD Twitter page, @FMHDSD, the following observations were made:

Absence of Children

Contrary to what Nigerians thought, the food was not distributed to children. Their parents were the ones that came in their place.

Distribution of Uncooked Food

One of the worries many Nigerians expressed in social media was the hazards surrounding sharing cooked foods to children. But, as mentioned earlier, the FG listened to the voices of the citizens and made necessary adjustments.

The Use of Vouchers

The FG, or the FCT council I guess, first distributed vouchers with barcodes to affected parents. These parents came with their vouchers, submitted them for verification and went to the food collection centre when the authenticity of their vouchers had been ascertained. This ensures that dubious activities were reduced to the barest minimum.

Observation of NCDC Guidelines on COVID-19

Of course guests to the occasion, including the parents, were made to wash their hands, use their face masks properly, and observe the social distancing guide.

It will be good to commend the Minister of FMHDSD and the WFP for their good works. The distribution of food at the flag-off was a success. However, more concerns are raised regarding this NHGSFP. Some of these concerns are briefly discussed below:

• Verification of Provided Data

According to the Minister of FMHDSD, the programme is for children in Primary 1 – 3 in public schools. In other words only parents of such children will receive these gifts. But knowing the high rate of corruption in Nigeria, it is pertinent to ask who verifies whether the people that receive these palliatives are those for which it is meant for. From what sources are these data compiled from? Is it from school registers or from the local government’s chairmen offices? Or from the ward leaders’ sitting rooms? Or maybe it’s from the commissioner for education’s PA’s office? Verifying the provided data will go a long way in ensuring that the concerned individuals are not denied this palliative.

• Supervision of Voucher and Food Distribution

It is obvious that the food distribution at Kuje Central Primary School, Abuja was orderly because the minister and other top officials were there with their maximum security details. However, there is no way the minister can supervise the distribution of these food items to parents in different states. This now makes one wonder who will supervise the distribution of the vouchers and its accompanying distribution of food. Who knows whether those that collected vouchers will even smell the food? Attention is greatly needed here too.

• Children in Non-Participating States

As the Minister noted at the flag-off, only children in participating states will benefit from the programme. This makes one worry about children in non-participating states losing out in this. It is quite unfair if these children and their parents lose something as important as this because their state government isn’t up and doing. It is, therefore, necessary that FMHDSD find ways to reach out to them before the programme ends.

• Time-Table/Schedule of Distribution

It is worrisome that there is no time table to show how and when different schools, states, local governments or parents will pick up their palliative. As it is right now, no one is sure of how these distributions are made and when expectant parents will receive theirs. The ministry needs to be clearer on this.

We, as Nigerians, need to support initiatives provided by our public officials to make life easier for us. However, we should not hesitate to point out areas that need reconsideration and amendment, though this should be done politely. In other words, we should give FMHDSD our maximum support as it implements the NHGSFP, but we should help the ministry to ensure that the programme is a success. Right now, our focus should be on our state and local governments. They are the ones that might deny us and our children this palliative.

For the first time since 2015, Japan announced it has fallen into recession. The world’s third biggest economy recorded two consecutive negative quarters that ended in March. Japan’s economy dropped by 3.4 percent in the first three quarters of the year according to the government’s statement.

In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, many economies are struggling to stay up as the strains continue to bite every means of revenue generation. Germany and France are already in the arms of recession.

Japan has become the latest economic power to fall into recession as a result of COVID-19 impacts and the typhoon that had previously devastated the country. It is feared that the economic situation of the Asian giant may get worse as the fight against COVID-19 pandemic is still far from being over.

“The economy entered the coronavirus shock in a very weak position. But the real big ugly stuff is going to happen in the April, June print. It’s going to be three quarters of very negative growth. It is not a very encouraging picture,” said Izumi Devalier, chief Japan economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

The likelihood of a third consecutive quarter of negative growth is ripe as shocks from the pandemic are still hitting every sector of the economy. The trouble could be traced back in October last year, when the country increased a tax on consumption from 8 to 10 percent. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it’s in order to reduce the country’s debt that is rated the highest among developed nations and to increase provision for social services as workers age.

The tax increase has resulted in decline in consumer spending, compounding the effects of the typhoon on economic activities. The Japanese economy has been on a dwindling rail even before the outbreak of coronavirus. Following the U.S., China trade war and receding global commodity demand, the country’s export has been dropping slowly.

Given the current realities of economic downturns stemming from coronavirus pandemic, Japan’s prospects for recovery have been further shattered.

With most of businesses shut down, the country sealed itself off from the rest of the world, and the Olympic postponed; Japan was on for a nerving economic crisis it didn’t see coming. Though there was a measure of success scored from the decisions, like the drop in the number of coronavirus cases, it grounded commercial activities to over 70 percent.

The Japanese news outlet NHK reported a drastic fall in commercial activities across the cities. From train stations to tourist parks, the desertion tells of a bleak economic future. Private consumption contributes to the larger part of the economy, but it fell 0.7 percent. Exports which make up 16 percent of the economy shrank 6%. Japan’s economist for Capital Economics Tom Learmouth echoed that it could get much worse.

“The Sharp fall in output in the first quarter suggests the spread of the virus had already dealt a significant blow to economic activity in March,” he said, adding that there would be 12 percent quarter-on-quarter plunge.

Tourism took a major hit, dropping 93 percent year-on-year to 190,000 visitors in March, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. While there is hope that every sector of the economy would be reopened soon, there is just little hope that it would save the situation.

“The emergency declaration stopped people from going out, leading to a substantial decline in consumption. It is going to be impossible to avoid an impact on the scale of the global financial crisis or even worse,” said Kentaro Arita, a senior economist at the Mizuho Research Institute.

In a bid to save the country from a total collapse, the government has doled out a $1.1 trillion stimulus package. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday that the government is planning to inject more funds.

Experts believe that the government needs to continue to inject more funds into the economy in order to sustain growth or any progress made.

“Depending on the sectors that were generating economic growth before COVID-19 will not be possible in the coming years. For many years, I think private sector activity will be very weak. That means the government will have to continue to support economic activity,” said Sayri Shirai, a professor of economics at Keio University in Tokyo.

She added that the government needs to strategize new means to generate revenue. Abe said on Friday that there is a plan to open every sector of the economy, lifting the state of emergency.

The situation sheds further light on the weight of economic crises standing in the way of many countries. Economic experts believe there will be a wave of recession around the world that will require critical thinking to overcome. As countries, especially in Africa, make the hard choice between life and economy, recession has become a “who is next” question.