How is corona changing lives in ... Nigeria?

Chichi is a Technical Support Analyst at eyeo and lives in Nigeria. In this interview she will tell us about a new friend she made during corona and how her niece taught her lift up her mood. We will post more interviews soon, check out how we handle corona at eyeo in the mean time.

1. Where do you live and how is your living situation at the moment?

I live in Lagos, Nigeria. The first case of Coronavirus in Nigeria was reported on the 27th of February and even though the government had not officially announced a lockdown, I decided to take some precautionary measures and I have been observing a self-imposed lockdown ever since.

I stocked up on groceries and other essentials. When I had no space left in the freezer, I adopted some of the old ways of preserving perishable food items. When I sent my family a picture of the things I had in the pantry, I remember my brother saying, “Chichi is preparing for the zombie apocalypse!” My friends also say I’m being paranoid but I say, “better safe than sorry.”

2. In what way is the situation in your country special? How does it differ from other countries?

Lagos is notorious for the large population and it was quite hard to effectively enforce the lockdown. In the 4 weeks where we had a complete lockdown, it was surprising to see pictures of traffic jams in some parts of Lagos, despite the lockdown. 

Also, since the government was unable to adequately provide palliatives for people, we had to take the responsibility to feed the poor in our communities by donating money and food items to the less privileged.

3. How does it affect your daily working routines?

Working from home full-time is not a new experience for me so I haven’t really experienced a big change in my routine. 

The power supply situation in Nigeria is quite erratic and with the lockdown restrictions, it became even more unstable. To ensure that I always have constant power supply this period, I had to get an inverter set up and also a back-up generator. 

Also, sometimes, I get really fed up with the whole situation. On one occasion, my 6-year old niece who is temporarily staying with me, saw me looking really tired and she said, “How can you be tired? Refire don’t retire!” Apparently that’s one of her teacher’s slogans so now whenever I get tired, I tell myself to “Refire don’t retire!”.

4. What is the most funny thing or something positive you experienced during corona?

While checking up on my friends and family, I mistakenly dialled a wrong number so now I have a new friend. 

This period I’ve also tried out countless recipes I watch on YouTube. Since I have no one to taste them, I’ll be the judge and I dare say my banana bread is the best! 

5. What are you looking most forward to after the crisis?

I look forward to seeing my mum again. Also, I recently joined the ABP UI team (Adblock Plus User Interfaces Team) and I look forward to having my first team days with my new team members. 

More information on working at eyeo during and how we handle it in times of corona can be found here.