by
Patrick Ogungbola
MD/ CEO, BLUEHEDGE REALTORS
It is with great joy and excitement that we welcome you to this brand new month of April 2020. You may ask, what’s the cause for joy and excitement amidst the global life-threatening pandemic currently ravaging the world – The COVID – 19. Well, that you’re alive reading this edition of our article calls for great joy and celebration. We don’t seem to value and appreciate certain things until they are taken away from us. Could anyone have rightly predicted a time like this when hugging and shaking of hands will be a ‘taboo’, where couples and sweethearts will not only be maintaining social distancing, but also physical distancing, Oh God have mercy! I can’t remember if we’ve ever experienced a nationwide lock down like this that will last for fourteen days, with possibility of extension if need be. Indeed, to be able to freely go about and work is a great privilege. Nations of the world are shutting down all economic activities, one can only imagine when life will come back to normalcy.
What started as a Chinese Virus (like President Donald Trump likes to call it) has now become a global pandemic. When it first started, people from this part of the world (Africans) were boasting that they are immune from contracting the disease, and that COVID-19 is a white man’s disease and that it can never affect the black man. However, it wasn’t too long before the reality dawned on us – certain black men came out to testify that they have been tested positive to Corona Virus. These days, the fear of Corona Virus is the beginning of wisdom. Gone are the days when someone will sneeze or cough, and the fellow will receive a compliment such as, ‘God bless you’. Today, you cannot afford to sneeze or cough in peace; you stand the risk of being cursed ‘God punish you’. As pointed out in our last article, this is indeed a bad time for anyone to have cough and catarrh, coupled with feverish conditions, you’ll be a prime ‘suspect’ to have contracted the deadly virus: COVID-19.
COVID-19 simply mean Corona Virus Disease 2019. The disease was said to have originated from a Wuhan seafood market where wild animals, including marmots, birds, rabbits, bats and snakes, are traded illegally. Coronaviruses are known to jump from animals to humans; it was said that the first people infected with the disease – a group primarily made up of stallholders from the seafood market – contracted it from contact with animals (https://bit.ly/2Uz5Z2u).
COVID-19 is not a bacterial infection but a viral, and the common symptoms are fever, dry cough, tiredness and nasal congestion. Its symptoms will not show up within 24 hours. It can take up to 14 days before symptoms arise (which makes it difficult for easy diagnosis), and this was the major reason for the 14 days lock down declared in most regions so that those who had already contracted the virus can be identified to curb further spread. A person can contract COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, and possibly their eyes.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we should maintain a safe distance from someone coughing or sneezing, and avoid social gatherings. Avoid touching the face, use face mask, wash hands regularly for at least 20 seconds and make use of hand sanitizer. It is also advised that if you can help it, stay at home to stay safe and to stop the spread.
This global pandemic has affected every facet of our lives in many ways. It has caused serious disruption and pandemonium in our economic and political systems. Everything is currently at a standstill all over the world. The impact is akin to that caused by war and other natural disasters: imposition of curfew, indefinite ‘stay-at-home’ policy and restriction of movement, cancellation and suspension of flights, tours, restaurants and cinemas closure, to mention a few. The ‘normal’ life style we have been used to has given rise to the ‘new normal’ lifestyle of staying indoor. Someone humorously said that people will now begin to understand what elderly, disabled and prisoners had been going through all this while. The global economy has practically shut down; the importance of safety and security of human lives is now more paramount than the crave for money and enterprise. Everything which seemed to be priority to us – work, business, career, travels, entertainment and so on have now become secondary. At this point in time, the richest man in the world will not mind to surrender all his wealth if he tests positive to COVID-19 to the poorest fellow who has the cure or solution.
The impact of the virus seems quite heavy, killing more stock markets and economy than people across the globe, sending panic waves around the world, more devastating than the financial meltdown of 2008 (Olumide Adesina, https://bit.ly/2UxoyUI), and given the near-shutdown of many economies, the IMF is forecasting a global recession in 2020. In another report, the United Nation estimates that COVID-19 could cause up to a $2 trillion shortfall in global income (https://bit.ly/3bAUugk).
As of today, April 1, 2020, globally, there are 862,495 Coronavirus cases, 42,510 deaths and 179,108 recovered patients (https://bit.ly/39tqS3j). The question we may ask is: ‘Is COVID-19 a ‘subtle’ weapon of mass destruction’? Some reports had it that the COVID-19 was a deliberate creation of the Chinese targeted at the Americans and Europeans with the aim of gaining the world’s economic power and dominance. Could this be true?
Whether true or false, this is coming at a time when one least expects; all nations of the world were caught unawares. With the advancement in science and technology, coupled with the breakthrough in human intelligence as well as artificial intelligence, the antidote to this deadly virus has not been found even as at today. Someone recently said that God humbles people through two major means: hunger (famine) and disease (sickness). We seem to be experiencing the two today. On the part of hunger, most Nigerians are daily income earners: the market women, taxi drivers, shops owners, and others earn their livelihood on a daily basis, and most do not have any savings, how will these category of people survive the two weeks lock down? Indeed, the nations of the earth are humbled, and everyone including the greatest doctors and scientists are all working round the clock seeking for solution.
But where lies the solution? We have heavily relied and overly dependent on science and technology, that we do not see the need for God; we have forgotten that He knows all things and He rules in the affairs of men. Even now, our prayers and hope lies in getting the right vaccines against COVID-19. Obviously, human intellect has failed and human wisdom has been put to shame. We need to get back to God. The ultimate solution to this crisis is fully in the hand of God Almighty! We only need to be humble and pray, and seek His face.
In closing, this is not a time to be afraid or panic; it is a period of ‘self-isolation’. That is, a time to be alone with yourself and your Maker (God); a time to discover and rediscover the hidden treasures and potentials embedded in you; a time to reunite and bond with your family and reach out to your loved ones. The best of you is sure to come out after this period.
Believe it, this evil time will soon pass, and it shall turn to you for a testimony (Luke 21:13).
We wish you the very best of this period.
As usual, we want to once again remind you that we care so much about you, and that when it comes to your real estate investment and advisory, we are always here to give you the very best service you can never get elsewhere. This is our promise, and will always be.
Meanwhile, please find below the powerpoint presentations of our current properties for sale in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Thank you.
Affordable Properties For Sale in LAGOS, Nigeria
Affordable Properties For Sale in ABUJA, FCT
Affordable Properties For Sale in PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE
