WORLD UPDATES CODE NAME: COVID-19

-By Aisha Sambo

Everyday there is a growing news of tragedy across the globe as this new pandemic is claiming so many lives, education and businesses. The world is on survival mode and Nigeria despite its many flaws as a country can survive this because we’ve truly had worse.

Firstly, not that our minds need refreshing, but you’ll need to live under a rock to not know what coronavirus is, so let’s refresh our minds. The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread globally, and this disease made its first red carpet appearance in Wuhan China, taking the lives of approximately 80,000 so far. This virus even has a nickname, COVID-19. People were so excited for 2020 but nothing as grand as corona has come since the beginning of the year, other than the shocking death of Los Angeles Lakers Basketball player Kobe Bryant (RIP BLACK MAMBA). This week France is dealing with 4,500 cases and 91 deaths, Germany has joined the league with 11 deaths, and America, well nothing has changed. Trump is still president. Netherlands, Switzerland and even the UK are all riding on the boat of COVID-19 (God Forbid), these are some of the most powerful countries in the world.

Yet, last week Nigeria announced a COVID-19 free country, we were defiantly too quick to rejoice as this week we confirmed the 40 cases of the COVID-19 in the country. Nigeria has recorded three cases only last week since the global outbreak of the virus. Two of the three cases involved persons who flew into the country from Europe – Italy and the United Kingdom. The latest case is a 30-year-old Nigerian, who returned from a short visit to the United Kingdom on Friday, March 13 2020. So far no news of closing up the Nigerian boarders have surfaced and many other African countries are shutting their airports and borders to keep people out from countries that have a high number of coronavirus cases. Egypt, with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Africa has suspended all flights from all its airports.
Even schools are closing down, Ethiopia, Senegal and Kenya have announced school closures and bans on public assemblies, talk about major restrictions on social gatherings as well. Every country is seriously setting up with quarantine measures, and my dearly beloved country Nigeria is still having temperature check points handled by security authorities. Yes, our police and law enforcement can help curb this virus #BigJoke!

Jokes apart, the world economy is far from smiling, and it will affect Nigeria in ways unimaginable. Global demand for oil has dropped drastically in the wake of the outbreak and with Nigeria being the largest exporter of oil, be sure that our government is probably in a panic because it relies heavily on the resource for dollar earnings to fund the national budget. Crude Oil is now priced at $34 per barrel and Nigeria cannot afford this at all, FYI our budget benchmark was $57 per barrel. Coupled with our debts, low reserves and revenue shortage the odd’s are truly against us. If this continues we sure as hell can’t afford our budget, analyst are already predicting a recession again. I remember advising a bunch of my friends last year to change their saving to dollars, I saw this coming and now everyone is in a panic buying dollars. Meanwhile, CBN has said no to devaluation and EFCC are raiding Bureau D’ Change offices, while our president sympathises with the residents affected by the Abule Ado explosion in Lagos which occurred on Sunday March 15th. I told you we’ve had worse, so keep the faith, we shall overcome and prevail over this virus.

For the third time the stock markets halted due to the corn virus scare, but Nigerians have nothing to fear, our economy has been terrible – on and off since 2015 and we’ve dealt with it, by dealing I mean managing, and we are still managing o. We have had more deadlier viral outbreaks than COVID-19, I’m speaking about no other than Lasa Fever. The Lassa fever virus has been rising sharply since 2015, the virus is transmitted through contact with food or household items contaminated with urine and faeces of a rat. In 2019, Nigeria recorded the largest epidemic with 810 cases and 167 deaths. This year alone, starting from the second week of the year the ninth week, Nigeria recorded 774 cases and 132 deaths across 26 states in Nigeria including the FCT, Abuja.

In the past five years, there have been four epidemics and this trend does not only suggest that the current epidemic will likely surpass that of 2019, but it also suggests a longer lasting and more devastating epidemic. You know I’m half way done writing this article but I can’t help but mention, does anyone else also feel like maybe the world is just about to end? No one and I mean no one is playing 10-10 with COVID-19, just two weeks ago at the annual Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) awards, Celebrities turned up wearing glitter jelled faced masks due to the nationwide pandemic. However, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said all participants at the AMVCA should self-isolate as they most likely have been exposed to #COVID-19 due to one of the confirmed cases in Lagos.

What is most amusing to me is what this virus is doing to people, fights over toilet paper, the face mask, elbow and feet greetings, washing hands all the time…which is something by the way we should always do regularly with or without COVID-19. How did it take a virus to make us do the things we ought to do and have been told to do as children growing up. On the bright side people online are throwing digital concerts, families are spending more time together and everyone is being forced to lookout for one another.

It’s important to note that there were so many signs before this hell broke loose we saw it coming, and by we I mean the world order. People claim that author Dean Koontz predicted decades ago the current outbreak. Fans online have been pointing out a passage from his 1981 book, “The Eyes of Darkness,” that highlights a virus called “Wuhan-400.” While it’s true the virus in his book originated in Wuhan, that’s the only similarity, ”Wuhan-400” wasn’t even the name of the virus in the original version of his book, it was called “Gorki-400,” named after the Russian city where it was created. The earliest warning was from no Bill Gates during his TEDtalk in 2015 (which I highly recommend watching). Also note to self, every 100 years a virus pandemic come into our world, so like I said the signs have always been there.

So while we are still quite unprepared for COVID-19, in the mist of global fear and panic, Nigeria still finds a way of being theatrical. Following a number of Iranian parliament contacting the virus, the National Assembly (NAZ) went on a two-week vacation. Ok, enough theatrics and here’s what I really think, yes we will survive this but don’t take chances, the way I see it is I might survive it but what if I carry it to someone who wouldn’t and that is the real problem. Right now everyone will do some good by assuming you already have it and take care of yourself. Do not think you are invincible the only true blessing Nigeria has right now is this heat because specialists are hopeful that warm climates can slow down the cases of the virus. Till then home breaks and leg shakes, wetin man go do?