Contestant: Covenant Olorunyomi is a 17-year-old student from Lokoja, Nigeria’s Baptist High School. Image by Courtesy of Covenant Olorunyomi

Editor’s Note: The Forward is featuring essays, poems and short stories written for our Young Writers Contest. Today’s entry was written by Covenant Olorunyomi, is a 17-year-old student from Baptist High School in Lokoja, Nigeria. You can find more work from our young writers here.

My world has never been limited to the four walls

of any building ever. I walk and talk with whom I want,

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fulfilling the basis for human creation which is socialization.

Following the stories of man’s evolution, he was

bestowed with the freedom to fly with less

enshroudings provided by the garments that later

gave consciousness to shame as modernization crept in.

Contestant: Covenant Olorunyomi is a 17-year-old student from Lokoja, Nigeria’s Baptist High School. Image by Courtesy of Covenant Olorunyomi

Sadly, man’s simplicity and desires for just necessities

gave way to savagery which led to the invention of the

book of judgement that could regulate his excesses.

There was no longer freedom to steal or maim or destroy.

Man’s affable nature changed to sensitivity.

The beauty of association with no restrictions has been

interrupted without jurisdiction. Even the freedom to breathe

in clean air and inhale the savory scent of the new rains and

blooming flowers has been masked by a mask.

The zeal to work hard so as not to steal has waned during these weeks.

I read hard to lead in the final examinations

conducted throughout the entire West African region, but

that enthusiasm is undoubtedly diminishing.

Schools have been shut down, and all chances of meeting

teachers have been turned down as physical distancing must

be observed to prevent total lockdown.

The beauty of festivities like Easter and Eid has been limited

by social distancing and we can not pray together for God to

make way out of this dungeon.

Even if my state has not recorded a single case, my country

has over a thousand cases and even if we can not trace

where it is headed for next, we try to hasten our pace and be

many steps ahead of this disease.

My freedom to move and school is still restricted but I am

thankful that I am safe. At least for now.

But my freedom is not complete

until normalcy is restored and the world is healed.

Till we can travel once again and inter- relate with

different races.

I have been trapped indoors like a fugitive, moving only

when necessary and always cleaning up my tracks. Fun

stuff like camping, dance and music classes has been prohibited.

I feel so suffocated and I think all these was orchestrated

but we must not be intimidated or threatened. We must fight

like the valiant men that fought for independence some decades ago.

We should not be faint for I fear this might be another long

walk to freedom.

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