Post Covid-19 Reality and Tech: Wahala for Country wey no soji When we hear “Wuhan” in China; only the gory memories of all the deaths and subsequent lock down of the World due to the novel Covid-19 virus comes to mind. Nothing prepared us for the coming of a singular disease that would knock out world powers and incapacitate the human race. It is safe to say, we did not see this one coming.

The Covid-19 Pandemic caught the whole world off guard no doubt but for African countries like Nigeria, our appalling lack of preparedness for any form of emergencies was our undoing. Covd-19 shook economies, destabilized human activities, brought social and educational operations to an abrupt halt. The infamous 2020 was the climax of the whole situation. In Nigeria, we witnessed our health sector crawl on all fours, businesses experienced a downturn and investments crashed. The pandemic had a far-reaching effect on Nigeria due to our infrastructural decay, paucity of funds, technological backwardness and the constant – bad leadership. As usual, “we no dey hear word for Naija”. By this we mean that we (at least authorities) never learn from mistakes. Things have changed since the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Nigeria and the glued masks on our faces are proof of that fact.

As we grapple with our new normal, people who are wise are hopping on new technological trends, adapting 21st century business strategies and tweaking their lives to fit into the time and season. Technology might not be the Vaccine to cure the virus but it holds the key to an easier existence for man. Virtual learning platforms, online businesses and payment options, e-transactions and much more are some of technology’s answer to the present reality. There is an urgent need to go digital in every aspect of human activities.

Wahala for country wey no wan catch up o. Nigeria already has years of technological gap to fill as it is and more than ever the gap is conspicuous and impedes on our growth as a nation. There are a plethora of digital options to explore but the greatest features expected of them all are speed, near zero human contact and usability by people across board.

Remote working, digital health care services, online shopping and virtual meetings and learning are some of the breakthroughs that characterizes the coming of this pandemic. Business owners who hope to succeed must maximize the digital opportunities and resources available in today’s world. Countries that were unprepared before must strive to catch up with the rest of the world by tailoring their economic and social policies to suit the demands for digitization. Indigenous Tech start-ups should be empowered with the necessary funds and support to build software and programs that will make coping with stay-at-home orders and other social distancing measures imposed easy to cope with such as the Video chat software like Zoom, Google meet etc hat we have come to adopt.

Summarily, technology will accelerate post Covid-19. We would do well if we anticipate this quantum leap in digitization and get rid of our analogue ways of operation that we are accustomed to.