1. Ignorance knows no race or tribe
Before the virus hit African countries, many youths, especially in Nigeria, even black Americans believed that the virus only affected white people and that being black made them immune.
This belief made a lot of Africans, including those living overseas, to become negligent and careless about the virus. Many racial jokes and memes on how black skin is "king" were all over social media. We all laughed at the jokes even when health experts warned us of the impending doom the virus could cause.
After some weeks, the virus started hitting African countries like it did others. At this point, countries like South Africa, Rwanda had imposed a lockdown and closed their borders to foreigners. But Nigeria, the "giant of Africa" still didn't take adequate precautions. It was once said that covid19 couldn't survive in regions with high heat temperature so Nigerians thought it would pass away like Ebola did.
Also, seeing that the mortality rate was low compared to other diseases like Malaria, Ebola and HIV, it didn't really seem like something we needed to worry about.
It took the government double digit of corona virus cases in Lagos to impose travel restrictions. Italy and the USA were also careless by not reacting quick to the spread.
Trump initially called it a flu. In Florida, a video of a beach party with a large crowd was uploaded on social media with the caption "we'll still party if corona kills me, it kills me."
Some Northern Nigerians felt the virus wasn't real and so they washed their hands into a bowl and drank the water as a way to ridicule the virus.
Not until Kano recently recorded over 600 deaths in a week and increasing number of covid19 cases that the reality begin to dawn on them.
All these behaviors made me realize how careless even the most developed humans can be. It revealed to me that ignorance doesn't have anything to do with being educated or not. Many elites were also ignorant too.
Were you ignorant of this virus as well?
Read on.
2. "One Nigeria" is all a Charade
During the lockdown period, a lot of ethnocentric drama sprung on twitter like it has never been. Though this was a usual habit on twitter but this time, it really showed the hatred amongst tribes in Nigeria.
It all began when a twitter influencer tweeted about how the number of covid19 cases would skyrocket if it got to the Northern part of Nigeria due to the high level of illiteracy in the North. Because of this tweet, many northerners attacked him for looking down on them and they started cursing at him.
It became an issue and the "arewa" tweeps shifted from insulting him to insulting anyone supporting him.
Personally, I didn't see anything wrong with that statement. He just stated the facts.
It later developed into a fight between the Igbos and the Northerners. This was the second phase. The hausas complained of how the term, "aboki", was always used in a derogatory manner against them. They also talked about how the igbos like to "dominate" anywhere they went and they wish they didn't exist after the Biafra war. The Igbo twitter community also decided to lash back at them ; talking about how poverty is written all over northerners, the almajiris and how they were far better than them.
The true intentions of these Nigerians began to unfold before me. Some even supported the killing and massacre of none indigenes in the north in 2009.
Not too long after this issue, another virtual tribal war occurred when the son of the governor of Kaduna State, "Bello el-rufai ", hurled a tribal rape threat towards a mother who hailed from the eastern part of Nigeria. This broke the camel's back.
This showed me how irresponsible and shameless people in power in Nigeria are. They take Nigerians for fools. It also proved the point that there is a hatred against tribe that is taught to us by our parents or society itself.
Will the "one Nigeria" slogan finally come to reality?
3. The truth will always come out.
I'm the midst of the lockdown, different rape cases from the past began to resurface again. The first allegation was against a Nigerian influencer, whose ex-girlfriend, who is also an influencer, accused him of rape. It caused a whole lot of hysteria for a few days.
Both influencers were dragged, especially the guy who was accused of rape. The accused influencer threatened to take "legal steps" against his ex because he needed to make people feel he wasn't guilty of the accusation.
Later that week, screenshots of a particular conversation between both of them was released and in some way, it still seemed like the accused was actually guilty. A recorded voice note of a friend to the accused was released. It further confirmed that, indeed, the accused was guilty.
However, other rape cases began to unveil. It really broke my heart hearing a 12 year old was raped by 11 men, how a lady who went to read in a church was raped and murdered there. Hash tags like "#justicefor" and "#saynotorape" trended a lot.
The world is really in a mess. Getting worse daily. Men need to do better. The victims of sexual harassment shouldn't always be blamed. Our culture in this part of the world finds a way to justify sexual assaults or rape activities.
Parents should educate their children especially the males in the society before they grow into monsters that defile women. A lot of blame falls on the females and it shouldn't be. A man should learn how to control himself.
So many sick men out there.
Another reason rape cases are not taken seriously is because many women have falsely accused innocent men of rape.
4. The world is going back to a "new Normal"
When the lockdown was just 1 month old, a friend of mine from my former workplace asked me when everything would go back to normal and my answer was quite intriguing to him.
I made mention of how having a knowledge in the IT field would determine how well anyone will do in this new phase because things can no longer be the same anymore. There was a time I told my supervisor at the company I served that I didn't like working in offices. I disliked the office environment because it somehow stifled with my creativity. Too much formalities, rules that apply only to low level employees etc. I told him I would love to start working from home after my service because the stress of commuting to a job you don't even like is painstaking.
He laughed and said it won't really be possible for now because I'm still quite young and with little experience. I would need to have worked for many years to achieve that. I told him that one day, just like most companies overseas, organizations will prefer to hire remote workers due to office costs and it will change how people work in the world.
Fast forward to today, nearly every Nigerian company is considering the remote style of working. Even before the lockdown, I was already working remotely with a new software company where I create contents and manage social media engagements. It wasn't hard for me to adopt remote working during the concentrated lockdown.
Asides from remote working becoming the new norm, unnecessary large gatherings will reduce for a while if not a long time.
Due to high rate of job loss all over the world, the new norm will include having a side hustle. Selling your knowledge, skills or expertise for money. A lot of people have learnt this the hard way. During the lockdown period, some individuals started to organize online paid classes in order to exchange their idea or knowledge about something for money.
It really goes to show how everyone has the ability to make money on their own by sharing their knowledge or deploying a honed skill for money.
This will be the new norm. People who depended solely on their job and have been fired are really in tight corners and they'll need to find a way to make money on their own especially if age is no longer on their side.
Here are lists of websites you can get paid for your skills:
1. Upwork
2. Indeed
3. Guru
4. Fiverr
5. AngelList
7. FlexJobs
I put Upwork as number 1 because it is the most recognized remote platforms for freelancers. It's very competitive to get in. They only accept you if you present your profile well.
If you'd like to start earning money from home or anywhere at all with upwork, kindly send me a Message on WhatsApp
5. God is supreme and the world needs HIM.
Yes! It's the fact. The world is in shambles and humans needs to acknowledge the existence of God. Even with all the tech inventions and breakthrough we still suffer because we lack knowledge - knowledge of the Father and the Son (Christ and God, the Father)
If you'd like to know God, speak to Him with sincerity. Yes, He can hear you. Don't let this "woke" generation deceive you.
God is real.
If you read this far. Thank you.
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Well said
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