Just when we were saying there is nothing new under the sun, COVID-19 hit us like the ray of the sun, forcing everybody to lift up their umbrellas. COVID-19 turned everybody to superheroes with our masks on, and we can’t even deny the fact that COVID-19 is leaving giant footprints on the sands of the whole world; footprints that would last for many years to come.
I was preparing for my First Semester Examinations when we heard that a virus was spreading like wildfire. It was first a rumour until we heard that Nigeria recorded its first victim already and within the blinking of an eye, Coronavirus was spreading in Nigeria. We thought that was all until the government announced that all schools in the nation were to be closed down and academic activities suspended. I received the news with mixed feelings, every student loves the holiday, but it should be after examinations not before it.
It is no longer news that COVID-19 first surfaced in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and since then spreading to over 196 countries and territories around the world. It has since claimed the lives of over 822,000 people with over 24 million cases, and over 15.6 million recovered.
People were forced to stay at home due to the fast spread of the Corona Virus. Markets were closed, companies closed, shops closed, and everything was put an abrupt full stop and the health sector bombarded with patients. Due to this many staff was laid off, and many institutions faced bankruptcy, human capital left with nothing but to stay at home. With no means of income, to this end, people began to resort to many ways of getting money which had led to increase in kidnapping, theft, and other crimes, in fact, shops that have been locked down due to the pandemic are being burgled due to the fact that people are at home.
But as it stands, it seemed things are back to normal. The inter-state travel ban has been lifted, markets have been opened and people are back to work, only schools are left to be opened, even though the JSS 3 AND SS3 students are back in school to write their exams.
But that’s not why I’m here today, is it? I’m here to share my takeaway from the Covid-19 pandemic. As I have explained above, there are no many negatives from the COVID-19 pandemic, but fortunately, I have many positives to be taken away from the pandemic, and I’ll share below;
Firstly, I am known for complaining that; ‘I DON’T HAVE TIME’, guess what COVID-19 did; it gave me all the time in the world. But funny enough, I kept complaining I didn’t have time, and then I learnt an important lesson: whether there is luxury of time or not, you have to plan your schedule, otherwise, there will be plenty of time yet you’ll complain of no time. So I kept that on my left hand, plan my schedule, harnessed my energy into profiting from the stay at home.
Secondly, I learnt something from the ‘ZOOM’ app. To be sincere, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that I heard about the app. Only for me to discover that the app had been founded since April 21, 2011. But the app didn’t get the recognition it deserved, the founded never gave up, and the advent of the pandemic gave it its deserved recognition, in a matter of months, the founder is now a billionaire. Out of every disaster is an opportunity. Many are complaining of hunger and poverty due to the rise of the pandemic and on the other hand, some are getting richer. Just few days ago, Jeff Bezos became the first person to worth more than $200 billion in the world, in the same pandemic. As a result, I decided to learn software engineering, making use of the time and opportunity before me. In fact, this is the best time to be innovative.
In addition, life is short, live life before you leave life.
Lastly, family is all we got. When the lockdown was declared, no friends, no classmates, nobody, just me and my family, it was then I realized that, whatever happens, we should never neglect family. I’ve learnt to place family high, and never disregard family.
In conclusion, history has been made; we can’t say if the world would experience something like this again, but this is a turning point in all our lives. I hope people really utilize this period, because, we have no excuse, much has been given, much is now expected. COVID-19, thank you.
Anointed Ifekristi is a Part 4 student of the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria and can be reached on Twitter @@ifekrist
