Pestilence at nineteen

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.
I was alone in my sanctum when I thought of it. "It didn't have to happen the way it did " I thought. Several reports , articles , interventions , letters , memos , essays etc have been written on the pandemic at hand : The Corona virus pandemic. Funny how it goes for the past few months , the static lockdown of activities due to the unheralded outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about my titling of this novella "Pestilence at Nineteen".

My review on a short article written by Abdusalam Wasiu a penultimate student of Guidance and counselling , in the University of Ilorin and the Chairman of the National association of Nigerian students , Kwara state axis , says and I quote an excerpt : "...If the Federal Government should keep saying people and students should stay at home till the active case of COVID-19 is circumscribed , students may be at home for three years or beyond being static educationally. The simple truth is , COVID-19 has come to stay..." Those words to some extent were heartfelt in all ramifications, but the part which kept reoccurring in my mind was the last part "COVID-19 has come to stay". Although he spoke from a more academic dimensis and perspective , meaning wasn't lost to the world in general as we have it.

A more appropriate approach for the titular which I first proffered was PESTILENCE AT NINETEEN : A Nigerian perspective ; but then , I made some emendations which I thought necessary at the time. I seeked to uncover some facet of truth which have been hidden in the Nigerian quest for survival in this pandemic. The hunger , the strife , the impoverished , the family , the elitist , idealists , the plebe- the partitioning of these groups have alot of say to this Pandemic , some heard , some unheard and it all boils down to one thing , humanity.