It is no longer news that we are currently living in a global village defined by the Coronavirus pandemic. It is on every news outlet, it is on your TV, it is on your radio, it is on the internet and on the lips of your colleagues, family and friends. The fear and panic is real. There’s every reason why it is, because Coronavirus is impacting the way we conduct business, do our jobs and live our lives.
It has, in an unprecedented way restricted us to our homes in what has come to be termed ‘lockdown’, especially if you reside in the cities of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja where President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a complete shut out of people and activities that doesn’t fall under the category of essentials.
There’s no doubt that all of these unexpected life-style changes will rub-off on us in different ways that may potentially come to define our personal and collective lives after Covid-19 goes away. So, AMAKA OKEMADU while observing social distancing, spoke with some Lagosians on what lessons they’ve learnt from the COVID-19 lockdown.
“We’re in a global correction centre, a parable of the prison”- Mayowa Oluyeba
I’m sick and tired of hearing people say and pray that we should quickly get past this pandemic, so that we can quickly get back to normal life. What is normal?
We all have seen movies about prison or read about life in prison. We have seen prisons, detention centres and correctional facilities created. To incarcerate and correct the behaviour of the offender. Inside the facilities, inmates are meant to live by certain rules so they are denied the freedom to move around and eat as they please. It leaves them with time out to rethink what they have done, so that when they get out they can become credible citizens.
It is arguable that inmates or anyone who has experienced life in a prison or correctional centre will live at peace and ease in that lockdown.
The world as a whole, has indulged in a reckless lifestyle, misused the free gift of nature and now we are all sentenced to correctional facility of our homes. Where we can take time out to meditate on our prior reckless and selfish ways and value things that really matter in life like family.
It goes beyond blaming China for this “prison sentence”. I think nature permitted it to help humanity realize that it has gone off track.
Similar to correctional facility, there is the VIP section where certain privileges are permitted but the less privileged might begin to revolt and break into the VIP section of this global correctional facility.
This is the time to make that change and decide against going to live normal as before. Any prisoner that leaves a correctional center and goes back to live same normal life will be back inside in due time. I urge us to please take time out to reflect and decide against going back to normal, because that which we call normal is what got us where we are today. We sure never want to be her again but COVID-19 will change the way we live forever.
“Office spaces are proving to be a waste” – Lucy Nsofor
This lock down has opened my eyes to the fact that many jobs can actually and effectively be done remotely if the work process is well coordinated and planned. It has made me come to see that many of us are just wasting office spaces, some jobs can skip the four walls of an office and not be adversely affected at all. In our office, the conversation have already begun about making remote work a solid feature.
“It has proved no man is superior on earth and a call to repentance” – Tolu Adetuyi
One of the things that has happened 
during this COVID-19 period, is the fact that it has sparked the idea within me to see things from an entirely different perspective, I literally would tag it as a season of repentance. God has proven Himself to be merciful and great in the sense that regardless of your status, regardless of how big your economy is, regardless of what nation or country you belong, you will realize that it doesn’t really matter at this point of #covid-19. Everybody has to go into research, to seek for a solution to this pandemic. The lessons has to do with the fact that we are not bigger than the creator of the universe, we all here are just human beings regardless of our status. It has taught us to put our trust in God rather than in men. It also speaks to the government to repent from their old ways, before now, the norm had always been for government officials to travel abroad whenever they have medical issues because they believe those guys abroad have better facilities to take care of them and because of that, they don’t equip the Nigerian health sector adequately.
“It has shown us how a little seed can destroy a whole forest”- Babatunde
The Coronavirus pandemic is the worst situation, man has have to deal with in modern human history. It defied borders, crept past countries and continents. This scourge has raised different debates, ranging from it being a biological weapon originating from a certain country in Asia to it being a genetically modified organism originating from a lab somewhere in the Americas.
What remains a mystery to scholars is how and why a highly communicable infection such as this could have rapidly multiplied both in its existence and effects with such a short time frame. Although, conspiracy theorists have come up with various plans on how to tackle the virus, there is yet to be a solid consensus to tally with the facts and figures.
Having said all these, my take on it all is that there is more to this ongoing onslaught than meets the eyes. It is of regret that thousands of lives had been lost, while the rest of billions alive are living in the fear of what might be coming their way. On the flip side, COVID-19 has taught us to be true to our inner truths and to be selfless no matter what it would cost us. The virus has told us how a little seed can destroy a whole forest and how true indeed it is, that no one is indispensable and I believe it also serves as a big lesson to the advanced countries who believe that theirs is a paradise.
“Cultures that greet with kisses and pecks can now observe some decorum”- Godwin Omia
The lessons I am gathering from my own personal research about Coronavirus lock down is that it has made bars, night clubs, brothels and even casinos to be locked up, and even though it makes some people jobless, it has brought families together and created rooms for them to reunite and understand each other better. Secondly, it has also been able to move one third of military and government expenditure to healthcare, which is one of the biggest thing we are lacking in Nigeria. Thirdly, if you look at it religious wise, you will realize it has opened our eyes to fake pastors and prophets who exploit many Nigerians all in the name of doing miracles and healing people. They are all quite right now. Everybody is trying to stay safe. It has taught Nigerians how to sneeze and cough in public. I also think that people can now greet themselves in decorum, especially in cultures where they greet one another in kisses and pecks, gosh! Finally, I want to presume that experts in microbiology, biochemistry, pharmaceuticals and even our local herbals are making proper research right now to tackle this coronavirus.
“That one can adapt to any situation with time”- Nike Nikita
The lessons for me are numerous. I have learnt the need to be vigilant; to study and observe your environment, and the importance of cleanliness, which will help you to lead a healthy life. Other paramount lessons I am also learning during this lock down period is the fact that you can adapt to any situation around you with time and that family bond are very essential. I have also noticed that the pandemic has made lots of people to start pampering themselves like never before.
