Ogechi Onuoha, Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Marie Stopes who was former Programme Officer at Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) reviews media coverage of COVID-19 in Nigeria and suggests more coverage options and responses to the pandemic.
The Coronavirus seems to have caught everyone unawareness including the media. What are the main issues you think the media should be looking out for to report?
I think the media is doing a good job reporting about the pandemic, cases, the updates from state and national government especially the states with cases.
What is your assessment of media coverage in Nigeria so far and what else should the media do to help curb the spread?
What they can do better is to look beyond COVID 19 and do analytical reviews of the COVID 19 lockdown and the impact on unplanned pregnancies linking it to maternal mortality post-COVID lockdown. Also mental healthcare of citizens remaining indoors for protracted periods. They could link COVID to the economy and the unemployment post COVID.
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Across these proposed topics of analytical reviews, the media can speak with broader stakeholders, get expert advice that can inform the government.
Are you satisfied with terms like scourge, plague etc used in reporting about the situation in the country?
Rather than use scourge and other terms like it, the media can just call it COVID 19 pandemic.
Are you satisfied with the government responses at federal and state levels?
Government response at federal and Lagos state is not bad. I see coordination. It can be better but right now, it is not bad. Across some states, the response can get better with more thought-through actions, not those inspired by fear.
Is there hope that our confirmed cases will not spike like some countries considering our large population?
The hope of cases not spiking is determined by the handling and compliance to lockdown, social distancing and hygiene guidelines by all Nigerians.
If we get it right now and keep our borders closed we can get out of the woods soon. But if not, with the rainy season setting it, we may have more cases due to compromised respiratory challenges that come with the rainy season
