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COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu, El-Rufai, Obaseki And Others Give Frontline Account At FSDH Group Webinar Series

  Advertisement On Friday the 22nd of May 2020, FSDH Holding Company Limited, a licensed non-operating holding company that delivers expert financial services in the … Continue reading COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu, El-Rufai, Obaseki And Others Give Frontline Account At FSDH Group Webinar Series


 

On Friday the 22nd of May 2020, FSDH Holding Company Limited, a licensed non-operating holding company that delivers expert financial services in the Nigerian financial markets, hosted a session that shed light on the impacts of Covid-19 in Nigeria so far, expert opinions on the best ways forward and the perspective of the average man.

The session “A Global Pandemic: Local Realities and Peculiarities – A View from the Frontlines” started off with introductory remarks from Mr Tosayee Ogbomo, CEO, FSDH Holding Company, and was moderated by Mr Hakeem Belo-Osagie, Chairman, FSDH Holding Company and Mrs Hamda Ambah, MD, FSDH Merchant Bank.

 

The Panel was indeed made up of front liners, His Excellency, Mr Godwin Obaseki (Executive Governor of Edo State); His Excellency, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai (Executive Governor of Kaduna State); His Excellency, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, (Executive Governor of Lagos state); and Dr. Alero Ann Roberts (Senior Lecturer and Consultant, Lagos University Teaching Hospital).

In what can only be described as over 2 hours of riveting conversation, the State Governors broke down the peculiarities of their states as regards the impact of the pandemic, explaining why measures put in place had to be different. With the number of confirmed cases haven risen to over 8,000, the Governors and Dr. Ann Roberts educated the audience on the validity constraints of the rapid testing kit (why we are currently testing at a slow pace), economic reasons for the easing of the lockdown and measures being put in place to enlighten the public and combat further spread of the virus.

Special Guests Prof. Asim Ijaz Khwaja (Director, Center for International Development, Harvard University) and Dr. Jaya Wen (Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School) also shared research notes on the pandemic across the globe, highlighting that governments must do their best to engage all stakeholders and stop the stigma against the virus at the grassroots.

The panelists’ knowledge of and responses to questions concerning: the health of the global economy, the state of healthcare in the country, the Nigerian economy, and plans for the next few months, were very encouraging. In the spirit of taking a holistic approach and attempting to cover all the bases, the audience was also asked to answer a few poll questions that could help guide the approach of the panelists regarding Nigeria.

The poll showed that the majority of the audience believe:
1. That the Government should take healthcare as an area of priority post-COVID-19.
2. That it is too early for the easing of the lockdown.
3. That the Government should start building and equipping more hospitals and should leverage Public-Private Partnerships for this purpose.
4. That the ban on interstate travel should continue.
5. That the biggest area of concern to them is contracting the virus and the impact of the entire pandemic on their financial wellbeing.

Overall, the session exceeded expectations by addressing real issues from the perspectives of the front-liners as well as that of the average citizen.

Click here to watch the full session.