Coronavirus: We can never be the same again

I was thinking this morning.... about the Coronavirus pandemic. Since the reporting of this Novel Coronavirus in December 2019, the media, both mainstream and social, has been awash with different buzzwords referring to the virus and disease. First, everyone had to be familiar with the term Coronavirus. Then a few weeks later, the WHO released the term Covid-19, the short form for Coronavirus Disease 2019. 'Coronavirus' was too big a term for the ordinary Nigerian to pronounce hence some called it 'Colodial drivus' and 'Coronavices' in the voice of our distinguished senator.

Covid-19 on the other hand was too elitist. Which is why I was surprised when Nigerians slammed President Muhammad Buhari for mispronouncing Covid-19 as 'COVIK One-Nine virus' after watching the 23 secs video posted by his Personal Assistant on New Media Bashir Ahmad. Don't blame PMB, he has long said he is not an elite.

When the average Nigerian became uncomfortable with the oyibo words 'Coronavirus' and 'Covid-19,' they came up with a simple buzzword for the disease, 'Coro.' On the streets, it became common to hear of the menace of 'Uncle Coro.' I never knew how deep the translation has gone in the streets until I watched the music video by the Kabusa Oriental Choir titled 'Okoro be careful make you no catch Coro.' It was at this point it dawned on me that the lives of anything, anyone or people that sounds like 'Coro' will never be the same again.

First, I felt for everyone that is planning for a ceremony to be made a king or chief. Print your card and call the event 'Coronation Ceremony' at your peril. No one will show up because of the fear of 'Coro.' You better be ingenious and think of what else to call the event. 

Then I remembered all those called 'Coro.' Are you surprised? Coro is a female spanish name that means 'chorus.' Coro is also a girl's name of Native American origin meaning 'wind'. Consequently, if anyone knows Ferrán Corominas Telechea (born 5 January 1983), commonly known as Coro, a Spanish footballer playing for Indian club FC Goa, please advise him to change his name now, before something do am.

As I pondered on these names, I started feeling sorry for those Igbo, Urhobo, Isoko and Itsekiri folks called Okoro. Chai!!! They are already popular for the wrong reasons. 

What about the Koro group of people found in Plateau, Niger and Kaduna States of Nigeria? People are beginning to suspect them o. My advise? Drop Koro and stick with Jili (for those in Plateau) and Jijili (for others).

Surely, this Coronavirus pandemic is no laughing matter and it is definitely not a time to stigmatize anyone because their names sound like coro. With our koro-koro eyes, we have watched over 25,000 die and 500,000 infected globally in only 3 months. Please, take personal responsibility, stay home and stay safe while you heed to medical advice, so they won't call korofo for you. Above all, pray, because 2nd Chronicles 7:14 says 'If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'

Happy Sunday.

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey.