COVID-19 And The Nigerian Society; My Experience And My Decision -By Reuben Avong

Sometime ago just after I had received the news of the coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria and the harsh measures the federal and state government have put in place in other to curtail the spread of the deadly pandemic. Well as a student, I received the news with quite a mixed feeling and since the school was still on at that time, it became an issue for discussion and deliberation dividing my class into three halves.

The first half of my class was so tight to the fact that coronavirus is not in Nigeria and will never be. They argued their point to the very fact that the Nigerian Government has made it a culture for a long period of time to deceive and mislead her good citizens who have gladly submitted the loyalty to them at the polls during previous elections held in the country. The group said that there is no need at all to believe in a government who have done nothing than to pour the trust of their citizens to the dust. The only Italian reported to be infected, has no identity.

Every rumor has a drop of truth and there can never be fire without smoke. This was the picking point of the other segment of my class at least for them something was at stake and it needs attention. Even if there was no case of COVID 19 in the country there was a need for preventive measures to be put in place so the pandemic can actually be managed properly if it finally arrived the country owing to the fact that it has gained grounds in most countries of the world where our political leaders and yes even our religious leaders are regular visitors for either business or pleasure.

Well, there were still some of us who were neither here or there all we wanted was to go home even thou it was three weeks into the second semester of the academic year. You may want to jump into the conclusion that we don’t like studies but what do you expect we are just students recovering from a shock I won’t want really want to discuss now. We were just present at lectures without paying attention more like a log of wood you might want to say. Anyway, am not expecting you to understand we had no justification for our action it was the conditions we fell into.

Sooner than later, it was time to go home schools were closing down the federal government had instructed our school was obliged to let go of us. Whether happy or not, sad or excited I had to bid my friends farewell thou, I hoped this will be only for a few weeks and by then those of us who were happy about this break hoped to have recovered from the shock we had earlier experienced. I arrived home and I tell you till now I still can’t believe am still at home the twelve weeks programmed for the semester will soon be over and am still at home and this is no longer funny.

Well, the first week of my arrival home was near normal just like any other break just that the timing was just different. Things began to change every advert on the television was about the prevention of COVID 19, it was the topic of discussion on every radio stations, it became the issues for deliberation at every football pitch, barbing saloon, gaming shop, and all whatnot. It became the song on the lips of little children, the issues of discussion for every adult. I was shocked when my network providers changed their name to stay safe. Till now, it is the trending issue on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp at least this is the social networking apps that I use on my phone.

Not long enough in my second week of arrival, the executive governor of my state addressed the citizens of the state in a live broadcast where he made it clear that unauthorized movement in and within the state where banned and there will be no public functions like wedding ceremonies, funerals and all what not that means I won’t be attending my aunt’s wedding in the village something I had planned for since the begging of the year. It means I will no longer go to church any more leading the intercessory prayer like I always love to on Sundays. I definitely was far from believing this.

It was a warm Friday evening few days after the governor’s press statement and I was still finding it difficult to believe that all he said were things he actually meant I needed someone to wake me from what I thought was a dream. I was sitting right next to my dad enjoying the cool breeze of when he stroked me with a question I was not expecting. Have you arranged how you lead the family in the functions of the holy week? This question hit me too hard I was wondering what I am even doing at home at this time, am I not supposed to be in school. Anyway, just so he does not get disappointed in his son whom he so much believes in, I say yes sir I am fully ready thou I wasn’t but it was clear I had to make the necessary arrangements.

For every prayer, I lead during the holy week I prayed to God to make it the last so we can just go back to the church and allow my parish pastor to take charge of his responsibilities. It is now after Easter I mean my break is supposed to be over by now if at all am on any. I am supposed to be in school planning for my second-semester examinations coming up in June but no, I am still at home leading family prayers. The situation is becoming something else now I cheek NDCDC daily report and the number keeps shouting up daily like live scores. Sates with no issues of COVID 19 are starting to report cases. Am still waiting for someone to wake me up from this slumber I have exams to write I need to read my books.

Every presenter on TV and radio kept telling us to wash our hands with soap and running water, use hand sanitizers and wear nose masks in other to curtail the spread of the virus. Well, at least I did not just listen I picked something out of it. They also said fever and thick cough where the symptoms thou some persons in my locality believe that alcohol is the cure and have since increased their consumption of the substance.

I fell ill during this period when the symptom of this virus was the main issue for deliberation in my locality. I was coughing profusely and suffering from severe headaches. My experience was not quite funny even my friends who never even believed in the existence of this virus avoided me tactically. I was exhibiting the symptoms of the virus as already stated by medical experts. I began confessing my sins to God begging him to accept me when the virus finally consumes me. It was really not a funny moment for me I was losing weight, I was undergoing serious torture within myself, there was no reason to smile and my night was becoming longer filled with the thought of how short my life has been and is about to come to a short end. Well at the end of it all, I was diagnosed with mosquito bites and mere cold and I have since been back on my feet and the rest is history.

Just a few days ago the governor of Kaduna State and the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria respectively made live podcasts while the governor addressed my state, the president addressed the nation. Well from both addresses, they stressed the need to follow the directives given by medical experts, in fact, social distancing was reassessed and the compulsory use of face mask for everyone was made very crystal clear.

For many of my friends, this is not nice as we shall be confined to our domestic habitat for the next thirty days or even more if the cases keep on increasing but we pray it does not get to that point. While they were arguing their points and commenting on both the president and the governor’s press statements. I just kept mute and my mind flashback to my experience while I was ill I sure will not want to have that type of experience ever again at least not in this life.

Since after my conversion with my friends, I have decided to make a choice unlike before when all I wanted was to leave school and go home, now I have decided to take sides with the second part of my class back in school for even if there is nothing like COVID 19 in Nigeria, there is need to stay safe not only for myself but for my friends, family and all who love me at least I owe them that. I now wash my hands each time I come back to the house, I, to the best of my ability avoid public gathering, I wave at people instead of shaking or hugging them especially strangers and people I have not to meet in a long period of time, I intend buying a nose mask and using it in the nearest future, I carry a small hand sanitizer in my pocket I just hope am not overdoing this one, I encourage my friends to do the same.

I am very careful in the way I go about doing all this so some people don’t get the wrong message like my experience when I was down with malaria. It will not be nice if, after all these things I have decided to do, I make someone feel he is suffering from COVID 19 while it is malaria or something else so, I anyone feeling sick to visit the hospital for proper medication. Even if it is COVID 19 they stand a chance considering the fact that the number of a person recovering from the virus is far more than those who have lost their lives especially when their situation is managed by experts. I encourage them not to make hasty conclusions and end up dying of frustration like I almost did.

Many men and women of our beloved country are putting their lives on the line to ensure that our world is healed from this pandemic. The only way we can say thank you to them is when we obey the directive they dish out to us that way, we can contribute to saving the world and tell the story afterward.

We receive news of recoveries and we pray for more. May God bring healing to our dying world and save humanity from this pandemic that has befallen us all. We should never forget that together we can fight this virus.

Let me end by quoting Obama who once said that the problems we face as humans are quite similar and our failure to handle them will hurt us all. COVID 19 has become our problem let fight it together or it kills us together.

YOUR FELLOW GOOD CITZEN OF NIGERIA
REUBEN ALHAMDU AVONG
STUDENT OF PHILOSOPHY VERITAS UNIVERSITY ABUJA