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A united species

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#EndSARS: SERAP wants Commonwealth to sanction Nigeria over attacks on protesters

This year has presented challenges across the globe. The outbreak of COVID-19 being the major challenge. COVID-19 has been mentally stressful across the globe. On 11 March, 2020 when the WHO Director-General declared COVID-19 a pandemic he simply meant from all indications the virus is on “all people”.

Though many underestimated the effect of this at this beginning, no can dispute that truth now; COVID-19 came for everyone. The world suddenly realized we are fighting an enemy that knows neither country boundary nor color. The enemy distorted our stratifications in life; rich and poor, white and black, intelligent and dull. The virus is not “China virus”. It is our virus.

The rich battles the same way the poor does. Personal relationships have been altered, events have been cancelled and we have all adopted new ways of life. It has indeed been a pandemic. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) began in Wuhan, China during the last quarter of 2019 as cases of severe pneumonia. Until 13 January, 2020 when Thailand confirmed it index case, the virus was confined to the borders of China. Africa recorded it first case on 14 February, 2020 in Egypt. On 27 February, 2020 the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed Nigeria’s index case. The case was that of an Italian who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria on the 25 February, 2020. He was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The pandemic has shone light on the fragile health system in Nigeria.

COVID-19 pandemic threw up challenges with differing lanes to what have been experienced in past cases of national health emergencies. It is obvious to the blind and audible to the deaf that the Nigerian health system was stretched to function beyond it limited capacity at the height of the pandemic. Epidemic preparedness of Nigeria has oscillated below average for years. Epidemic preparedness carried out using the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) in 2017 rated Nigeria’s preparedness for an epidemic at 39%.

A mid-term review carried out in 2019 showed an improvement which stood at 49%. JEE is carried out every five years by the NCDC using a WHO approved tool with 49 indicators to assess Nigeria’s capacity in 19 technical areas. The pandemic has been a challenge for scientists. Everyone refreshes newsfeeds hoping to read a good news about a breaking forth in vaccine development. It has pushed research beyond borders of countries and colors, where the vaccine comes from does not matter as to the vaccine coming. Who discovers the vaccine is not as important as the vaccine being discovered. Amidst the gradual victory against the pandemic, October was packaged specially for Nigerians. October ended as one of the toughest months in history for Nigerians. It came tougher, probably, than we were prepared for.

 

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The beginning of the month spoke of the joy of independence, but only to be crushed by the weight of the inevitable challenges standing tall against the country. From the burning fire of hope we gathered the ashes of hopelessness. It was touching. On 20 October, about dinner time, shattered hope and battered dreams visited homes across the country. Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces opened fire on our brothers and sisters, peaceful End SARS protesters, at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. Dinner ended abruptly. We turned to watch the gruesome incidence on Instagram Livestream of DJ Switch.

The country’s economy has not been anywhere near the best in recent times even before the pandemic. It is no exaggeration that families go to bed without meal. Many parents have had to leave home because basic needs of life could no longer be supplied to loved ones. Over the past few months, the country has had nothing to show while poverty in the country had reached an unprecedented level. People now do unimaginable things. There have been stories of parents selling their kids just in a bid for survival. Workers go to work with empty stomach and students have had to stay at home for months because of incessant strikes.

Newspapers are filled with sad news – economic uncertainties, strife and terrorism, poverty at all time high, etc. Many Nigerians are pessimistic not only about the nation’s future, but their own as well. The pandemic has pushed the doors of science open more than ever with increased efficiency and collaborations than we have ever seen. This brings us back to the reality; it is on us all. This might just be the most important takeaway about everything that has faced the world and Nigeria this year.

The reality of this should push us into a discussion; one of unity. We are in this together, what affects one person anywhere in the world affects everyone elsewhere. We might now have to see ourselves as one species, one group, as opposed to countries, or races, with different opinions, or spatial locations .

We do not have to choose between two choices when life situations comes. We must learn to do away with Hobson’s choices – two unwanted options. The future is one without borders of colours or opinions. Through the lens of COVID- 19 and the End SARS movement, we are seeing the incredible efforts national donors, scientists, philanthropists, artists, and everyone from all spheres of life can achieve when united against a challenge.

Everything learnt from this crisis must arm us for future crises and the most important message is that of the power of a united species. COVID-19 is still rampaging and the war against police brutality is far from over but we have seen the incredible power of a united species. While we must not be off- guard just yet we are coasting to victory.

AUTHOR: Nicholas Aderinto…


Articles published in our Graffiti section are strictly the opinion of the writers and do not represent the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stand.

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