Today, the world is at a standstill, alarmed and perturbed by the devastating effects of the novel coronavirus, some people have been forced to be introspective and look into what hitherto were their priorities. Who could imagine a world without Champions League and other football matches! Who would think of seemingly powerful and weak political leaders falling prey to a disease that seems to have started with the global citizens- elites. But we see that coronavirus knows no social status as it rampages the high, mighty and the low globally.
As I watched the increasing number of corpses in different countries pile up in response to COVID-19 devastation, I ask myself if I am learning any lessons from all of these. The ephemeral nature of man’s pride- his life- and (non) achievements, the pride in living for one’s self. I ask myself if my fellow citizens are learning anything from this situation, the ruled and the ruler, the led and the leader.
Some people seem to be learning lessons in ‘love’ being that which they can do to make life better for others around them especially when they know that they are far more comfortable than many around them. The mighty and powerful have been giving up their prized property and buildings to be used by government. I see this as commendable even as I wait to see others with similar property especially the many unoccupied estates in Abuja, hand them over to the government.
Some of our billionaires and millionaires have come together to bring their donations into a fund geared towards efforts at handling the situations surrounding COVID-19 and its effects on Nigeria. Corporate organisations have also made their contributions even though we heard some of them sacked some members of their staff as new year present in January before declaring stupendous profits.
The scramble to provide sanitisers, face masks, and hand-washing detergents by individuals and (non)corporate organisations reveal that humanity which should be the primacy of man’s primary existence has long be thrown away to an ugly selfish-based acquisitive mindset which does not interrogate the transient nature of man, his pride and all things.
So, what is man’s pride that has been rubbished by COVID-19? Glorying in wealth and self-glorification that befuddles the mind of ‘civilisations’ especially in the areas of politics where politicians are supposed to be trusted representatives of their people in providing governance by prudent management of the nation’s resources in creating a better society for their people. Instead what do we see? Politicians, while not all of them, sadly these group is in the majority, taking pride in pauperising their constituencies, traumatising them socially, physically and psychologically by their (in)actions. It’s also vain for a helpless populace to revel in the tragedy of its absconding leaders as the law of karma.
COVID-19 has come to teach us all that harbingers of death such as sickness and disease is a leveler that brings every man back to his creator in a box- no matter the designs- or in a mat- no matter how expensive it looks back into the earth from which he came from with absolutely NOTHING!
COVID-19 tells us we are powerless without one another!

Hmm