Before the end of 2019, there had been a hypothetical pointer to what havoc COVID-19 had the potential of wreaking should world leaders in their quest to nip it in the bud.
The virus currently ravaging the globe has gradually found its feet among billions of inhabitants on earth.
It’s quite sad that it has now metamorphosed into a thick shade of catastrophe that has the world leaders, both political and religious, on their toes, helplessly in search for a cure.
A couple of days ago, it was indicated that Italy’s recorded COVID-19 deaths had risen to over 15,000. While Spain and USA have recorded well over 11,814 and 8,113 deaths respectively, Africa, the continent with the lowest case in the world, also has fatalities rising to 334, as at the last update by the John Hopkins University.
Already, the odds are that Africa, most notably Nigeria, does not in any way stand a chance against this deadly pandemic considering the state of our health care facilities and government’s snail-pace responses, coupled with the recalcitrant attitude of the public towards the spread of the virus.
As tension keeps running high in developed countries with advanced medical equipment, one cannot but question the rationality of the recently enacted government policies, most especially one that has a direct tie with the education system of the country. It is rather unfortunate that in this clime, problems are often dealt with after the people must have suffered extensively and helplessly from its unchecked consequences. If not, halting educational programmes till further notice should not be the first pragmatic approach the government would think of in their pursuit to stand against one of the most significant outbreaks in the history of time.
It’s been two weeks Nigerian universities and, consequently, primary schools were forced to close down to curtail the spread of the deadly virus, yet the fate of over 20 million students across the country is still dicey as the virus marks out new territories and takes new course among states.
It is quite heartbreaking and pathetic that despite the advancement in learning across the globe in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution, Nigerian universities are still operating on archaic and mundane pedagogy, leaving students with next-to-impossible chance of honing already acquired skills and/or taking up new ones, even in the face of this stay-indoor directive of the Federal Government.
As the global pandemic rages on, students in some advanced countries of the world have started learning through open learnings as universities move their educational teachings online. This alternative has not only helped students to stay in good shape, it ensures learning continues in the wake of a global lockdown.
However, in Nigeria, where mobile data price is on the high side and annoying internet services continue to a nightmare, Nigerian students’ only hope of learning from some online educational learning platforms remain cloudy due to exorbitant data plans and poor internet services.
While the question of how a country with an estimated GDP per capita of around 2,032.86 U.S. dollars will survive these difficult times, the country’s biggest sector which accounts for around 64 per cent of the economy, the informal sector, is also facing huge setback as lockdown spreads to over ten states in the country, including its commercial hub – Lagos.
Surviving the historic COVID-19 era for many in Nigeria might require a comprehensive study and further analysis after the end of the pandemic.
Odeyemi Damilare Jeremiah,
Lagos.
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