It isn’t exactly a great time for me to be living in Lagos. The state literally went from keke and okada ban straight to recording coronavirus; COVID-19 cases.
Lagos flipped the wrong switch on as I realized working in both parts of the city (Island and Mainland) was not going to be fun. It is bad enough navigating both ways when there wasn’t any virus going around but then I could manage.
Now, it is so much trouble, it was getting out of hand till the governor finally succumbed to the social distancing mandate.
There was panic everywhere when the first case of coronavirus was announced. The uncle from Italy brought it to Nigeria and from then on, it spread like wild Greek fire. The virus nor dey show for face and all we had to do was wash hands, don’t touch face and sanitize regularly. Sanitizer and face mask became gold and you literally had to hunt for it. In some stores, it was auctioned, highest bidder got the hand sanitizer. I bet a lot of individuals saw a business opportunity and started making and selling sanitizers at outrageous prices. Trust Nigerians to profit out of any situation; good or bad.
The thing is, I normally take these preventive measures but all of a sudden, the “touch your face” and “Itch your eyes” voice keeps sounding in my head.
It now became hard to hitch a ride in VI as fear has slipped into our veins. Then it happened and all of a sudden, I caught a cold, I was coughing, and sneezing and my nostrils were blocked. I was suspecting myself and started thinking about where I went and who I met and when I touched my face, eyes or mouth. It so happened that it was just a cold but it didn’t stop people from asking me if I caught Coronavirus. I stayed at home for a week, sipping warm water and honey, with my meds.
During this period the number of cases in Lagos and Nigeria has significantly increased, the panic became severe, mask became even more scarce and expensive, fake news was flying and some people were still in a state of unbelief.
Monday came, I was better and I had to leave for work. Got into my first bus everybody had sanitizers and everybody was trying not to touch the next person. Luckily, we were just 10 in the bus so social distancing was easy, anyone coughing or sneezing is a suspect and we kept staring at each other. After paying, I rubbed my hand sanitizer, I collected change, I did the same thing. I was not alone we were all doing it.
Next bus to Ikeja, I wasn’t as lucky. The bus was full so I had to maintain myself. I then noticed the man sitting near me was picking his nose and next thing he used same hand to rub his eyes and rubbed it on his clothes. I didn’t cry, couldn’t speak, next thing someone sneezed in front of me and he didn’t cover mouth, I couldn’t breathe I was just in a state of shock and confusion.
The coronavirus cases in Lagos keeps increasing, people are still sneezing into the air. I saw people wearing their mask inside out, using gloves tbut touching their face, selling mask 1 piece 500 naira, and talking about how the virus doesn’t survive in the heat. I was happy when my boss said to go home at 2pm because I didn’t know how I was going to make it at work till 5:30pm and get home late. Lagos is filled with a mixture of scared, over-sabi, and ignorant people.
I look at everyone as a coronavirus suspect but I have chosen to stay indoors because it is safer to be indoors seeing as the virus nor dey show for face.
Are you washing your hands and staying home like me? I’d advise you do! NCDC have dished out preventive measures, please follow them!
Lagos State, Eko as it is fondly called is the modern day “Westeros” amongst the 36 states of Nigeria in this 21st Century generation. Compared to its size on the map, Lagos houses the most businesses in Nigeria as well as over 21 million people. All of these individuals are not all from the bubbling city but it is their experiences that make them part of Eko.
Glazia’s Lagos experience column was created to bring the vast diversity of the Lagos population together through true stories of its bonified citizens. This will help those who do not dwell here, experience first-hand the life in Lagos and build a community of Lagosians through experiences.
Story Teller;
Minomi
Digital Marketing executive
Product review writer.