Before the year 2020, the situation of things in Nigeria have been rapidly deteriorating; governance, poverty, insecuriry, instability, and unemployment amongst others. Queues in public places were unbearable, public transportation the worst punishment, health systems so poor, lousy living habits, and overcrowded halls in schools, religious worship centres, banks, and malls etc. It is hilarious that no one saw any of these as a problem, everyone just wanted to run their business and move despite the sad conditions.
Looking at the Corona virus narratives; the lockdown, people falling sick randomly, death tolls keep rising, and the economy suffers as businesses are closing down with many people who have lost and will keep losing their
jobs. However, there is a positive notion to the Covid-19 saga especially amongst the common people in Nigeria.
This article is inspired by personal observations in the last few months, no pictures taken yet to adequately support this write up but if you live in mainstream Nigeria, it is relatable.
Firstly, Corona virus has freed many people from their old ways of thinking, viewing things, and perception. Imagine! The empty streets, even religious gatherings were prohibited, schools suspended till further notice, airports shutdown, and most people stay lockdown at home. This shows that our regular way of living could change at anytime without prior notice, it revealed that a 9am-5pm job is not necessarily ideal it's a choice, people understood the value of having me-time and being free to work at their own pace, it became clear that school is not the only way to have a better life, and so much more. The norms of the old age are ebbing away, what would the future bring?
Secondly, public places have been obligated to provide hand sanitisers, water and soap for people to wash their hands, facemasks were instituted as a must have or persons are denied access, and in the banks seats are provided for customers to wait their turn to avoid overcrowded banking halls, public transportation in some areas practiced social distancing by taking less passengers compared to the overloaded norm, in my own words, people are being treated with more respect even though at a cost. What a time to be alive!
Although, this affects some people negatively, it has provided business for those selling facemasks, hand sanitisers, face sheild, and other protective products for the purpose of preventing the pandemic from spreading.
Thirdly, agriculture has further received more attention in Africa and the Carribbeans. Indigenous peoples of the aforementioned are naturally farmers but due to modernization, so many farms stopped functioning while importation of food gained more prominence than local food production. Moreso, the Corona virus era has sparked many people's interest in farming especially to sustain themselves in a total lockdown situation, those who lost their jobs or businesses turned to agriculture, and most importantly, many natural remedies for boosting the immune system became essentially popular and this caused people to plant them in their home gardens. Isn't this beautiful?
Fourthly, the internet has become a major part of human interaction and this influence would only become greater as everyone and everything is online or about to join in the big internet party. Digital currencies have become so popular that so many want a piece of it, entertainment is actively online as there's no social gatherings such as concerts or shows, the clubs are shutdown, and also some recreational activities no longer hold. In addition, education has put on a new face, at all levels both young old people are learning online, some schools have taken education to the next stage by putting their subjects and courses online for students to easily reach them. During the lockdown, people engaged in internet online courses to learn new skills or improve existing ones, and this has really changed a lot of things from 2020 and beyond. Everyone is looking for a way to earn internet money
To crown it all, Corona actually means a crown like a halo. 2020 is really a year for transformative change, one that will last till when we are all gone. Despite the negativity, now is the time to plant seeds not just physically but in all ramifications because whatever you sow, you shall reap. Always look for the light even in the darkest times, never let self pity, envy, or sadness dwell in your heart. Just like the creation story in the Bible, we create ourselves and this goes to say we have gardens within us and whatever we plant grows as long as we nurture it.
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