10th April, 2020
By Isa Isawade
It’s already eleven days into the total lockdown of some states in Nigeria as a result of outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday 29 March announced in a broadcast, a total lockdown of Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja for fourteen days starting from 11:00pm on Monday 30 March 2020.
PM NEWS had earlier recommended 10 ways to beat boredom at home for people who are already used to the usual hustling and bustling nature of those states, especially Lagos.
Therefore, we decided to visit some parts of Lagos to find out how far residents have taken to the recommendations in their coronavirus instigated ‘confinement’.
Here are how they claimed to be living their lives in the circumstance:
Nurse Deborah Olamide Adeyanjue:
I have been engaging in morning jogging, playing ludo game at home, chat with family members and neighbors because we have many of them at home now. I try to catch fun with some of them. I also use the opportunity to read more. But sometimes with all of that I still get bored, because you cannot move too far away from your home due to the restriction order. I also go online 24/7 to see what’s going on.
Afunlehin Opeyemi Teslim (Educationist and politician):
I live at Gbelero Street, Agbado Oke-Odo. I commiserate with my fellow Nigerians over the Coronavirus pandemic. I pray to God that we will survive it like we survived other national and international calamities such as Ebola, Lassa and what have you.
I salute the doggedness of my fellow Nigerians. We survived the Civil War, we will survive this one too, because it’s a war. It has been tough; the lockdown is effective. I stay with my children at home. I guide them in their home works. I teach them moral etiquette. This morning we just cleared the bush around the house, burnt the dirty things, and filled the house with water. I try to guide them against undue exposure for now.
Ayilara Raphael (Company Technician):
We thank God for life. It has not been easy. But part of my nature is to engage myself in one activity or the other in my compound and surroundings. Like this morning, I have jogged to exercise my body. I also do some menial jobs in the house like washing of car, wetting of garden and other house chores to remain fit.
Jejelaye Martins (Property dealer):
What we should be doing during the sit-at-home is to engage in a lot of exercises to keep fit. I have also found time to guide my children to read their books and ensure that they remain indoors.
Adeniyi Tijani (Port Security Officer):
When I wake up in the morning, I pray with my family. After that, I take a walk on the streets in my area. I also stay outside a bit to watch things that go on in the community, so that house will not be boring for me. Then, I do some reading and chat with friends around on current affairs and other issues.
For the children, they are busy daily with loads of assignments they brought from school. We also engage them with house work so that they will learn domestic etiquette they are not exposed to in their boarding school. We are using the opportunity to engage them on what the school had taken away from them.
Adeniyi Aremoro (Estate valuer):
It has not been easy. I stay indoors with wife and children without money and food; no relief package, nothing. We are not finding things easy at all. They should just release us from the bondage. They should not allow us to die of ‘hungervirus’. I don’t engage myself in any activity at home because I am hungry and house is boring for me.
Oluwabusayomi Adedoye (Businesswoman):
I have not been able to go out for 9 days now. I can’t go to work, I can’t go anywhere. I have just been at home doing nothing. So, everywhere is just somehow.
Olaitan Adeniyi (Entrepreneur and Chairman, Agbenaje CDA):
I would have been bored, but on community engagement I have kept myself busy. We have some electrical projects going on that make me to be out there regularly under the sun to ensure that efficient services are rendered and quality is maintained. There are other issues of the community I have been attending to.
Coming back to my own business, I run a laundry business, but because of the lockdown, my staff have not been able to link up with me. So, I iron clothes myself now, and you know what ironing means for someone who was not doing that before. So, that really allow me to sweat a lot and keep fit.
But, I beg that there shouldn’t be any extension of the lockdown, especially because of those who are finding it difficult to feed. If there is going to be any extension, government should make enough provision for the people through the medium that will serve the purpose well.
Mustapha Ogunsakin (Journalist):
Everyone has to engage in exercises to be healthy. I used to take a walk from my house to Abule-Egba, a journey of about 4km, but now because of the restriction, I can’t go that far. I have some gym equipment to exercise with. I do the little I can do within my compound to keep fit. Apart from some journalistic engagements I can carry out in the circumstance, I also engage with my children in singing and playing the keyboard.
Mufutau Akani (Welder):
I have a small farm not too far from my house. Any time I feel bored l go into my farm. I will go in the morning and leave in the afternoon, and towards the evening, I go again. I go with my children so that they won’t be playing about while I’m away and risk contracting the disease. Those who are going about boarding commercial motorcycles and flouting the rules are risking their lives and that of others.
Busari Isola (Tricyclist):
I used to preach the gospel very early in the morning by 4.30am, but my transport work had prevented me from doing it for some time. So, I used the opportunity of the stay-at-home order to go back to it. After finishing with that around 6am I go to observe my prayer and start listening to news till after 7am. Thereafter, I begin reading the Qur’an till around 10am when I go to bath and rest.
Musbau Raheem (Tailor):
How will one not be sick when one can no longer go out to fend for a living? I am a tailor. For the past nine days I have not opened my shop. How do I feed my wife and children at home? It’s even affecting one psychologically. So, I just hang outside to while away time.
Chudi Soles (Businessman):
It’s so hard. I find it difficult to stay at home. The situation is giving me headache. I just come to sit in front of my shop here every day.
AbdulHakeem Adeleke (Entrepreneur and Politician):
It has not been easy because we are used to hustling and bustling, going up and down. But, this time around we have to stay in a place without doing anything. I decided to be doing some domestic assignments and walking on my street up and down without having handshake with anybody to keep myself fit.
We are also compelling the children to put more effort in their study. We give them domestic assignments so that they won’t also be bored. But, it has been tough because the children eat more at home now and money is not coming in. But we thank God, if there is health, there is wealth. We believe we will be able to make up after the whole issue.
Daramola Hamed (Civil Servant):
When I wake up in the morning I do my prayer with my family. Then around 10am I gather the children and give them assignments. We work it together and I tell them stories so that they won’t be bored, especially when there is no light. I also engage in house chores with them.
Sulaiman Oladiti (Civil Servant):
Actually as a man, you have to be able to redefine yourself in whatever situation you find yourself. Some other important things that one didn’t have time for, you now use the opportunity to create time for them. I engage the children with what they had missed in terms of their Arabic studies- more reading of the Qur’an and learning of hadiths. We have a hafiz around us who guides us in the recitation exercise. I organize lecture with them.
We have time for their school programme. Sometimes we do online checking of things that are relevant to their studies. My wife is also using the opportunity to learn Qur’an, and she has been able to spell and write Arabic letters. She is about picking the Qur’an now. I am also using the opportunity to learn more. We are trying to make the best out of the situation.