Coronavirus: You Must Pay Damages – Oby Ezekwesili Fires Back At China

Oby Ezekwesili, a former Vice-President (Africa) at the World Bank, has told China that they must pay damages to Nigeria and other African nations.

She made the initial demand in an April article on the coronavirus global crisis.

On Monday, the former Minister of Education, released another piece in reaction to China’s counter.

China, had in its response, asked if the United States offered compensation for the 2009 H1N1 flu, which spread to 214 countries and regions.

The world’s most populous nation recalled that the outbreak killed nearly 200,000 people.

China further pointed out that AIDS was also first reported in the U.S. in the 1980s and then swept across the world.

The country sought answers from Ezekwesili on whether America was asked to compensate countries for flu and AIDS diseases.

The finance expert noted that China must know that where lives and livelihoods are concerned, no country, regardless of how powerful, can intimidate Africans again.

Ezekwesili urged Beijing to do the right thing now and accept the debt it owes Africa as a result of its failures on COVID-19.

The Bring Back Our Girls co-convener posited that world powers should behave responsibly in the 21st Century if they are to be taken seriously.

Ezekwesili stated that the Government of China through their Embassy in Nigeria missed the opportunity to responsibly address the serious issues raised.

She insisted that Africa deserves to be paid a compensation for the damages COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting on lives and livelihoods.

The rights activist declared that since China failed to adhere to basic scientific and research transparency in the critical early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, it must accept responsibility with humility.

In her rejoinder entitled ‘Yes, I Insist That #ChinaMustPay Africa Damages for COVID-19’, Ezekwesili outlined six points that authorities in Beijing should consider.

She wrote:

“First, it is now clear to the world that China’s opaque handling of the pandemic is costing my country, our continent and people too much in lost lives and livelihoods.

The unjustified suffering of the poor and vulnerable brought on by the actions of a comparatively rich and powerful country demands a new system for addressing global inequities.”