Home » I ‘MURDERED’ CORONAVIRUS, SAYS DISCHARGED SURVIVOR

I ‘MURDERED’ CORONAVIRUS, SAYS DISCHARGED SURVIVOR

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•  Osowobi relives battle against COVID-19 at Lagos isolation centre.


HOURS after she was certified free of Coronavirus and discharged, Miss Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi on Monday relived her battle against the virus.

She declared victory, saying: “I’ve murdered Coronavirus. I fought to live. Coronavirus is not a death sentence. People can survive and I have.”

Miss Osowobi is the Executive Director of an anti-rape Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) @StandtoEndRape.

She said she had to swallow about 31 tablets daily, eight in the morning, 13 in the afternoon and 10 in the night.

The activist said she ended up vomiting the pills only to depend on Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) after becoming dehydrated.

She said she got infected with Coronavirus while looking forward a fantastic consultancy job, which she eventually lost.

She praised Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for coming to see her.

Osowobi, who defied stigma, made known her experience on her twitter handle (@AyodejiOsowobi).

She was among the five people discharged yesterday from the Lagos Isolation Centre after their recovery

Her experience with Coronavirus is a mixed bag of pains and hope.

She promised to release the video clip of her experience.

Miss Osowobi said: “Life finds ways of throwing Lemon at me. I’ve struggled with coming forward, but I want to inspire hope.

“I returned to Nigeria from the UK post-Commonwealth event (I totally enjoyed) and fell ill. As a responsible person, I self-isolated

“Before returning, I had planned several interviews, I was scheduled to start a fantastic consultancy job and was also expecting to sign a contract worth millions. I lost them all!!!

“I had to self-isolate and also inform people I came in close contact with to get tested. #COVID19

“My friend and I kept calling @NCDCgov to get tested? What if we didn’t persist?

“No info on my test result. At 12am, an ambulance was at my house. I woke from sleep and was crying. I got to the isolation centre, but no one was there to receive me. I waited in the ambulance for two hours.

“The nurses eventually came out and treated me like a plague. I sat in the ambulance feeling rejected.

“No questions about how I felt. So many questions about my travel history. Same information I had provided to NCDC & Lagos State Government during profiling. Lack of data sharing!

“After two hours, I was taken to my space. I felt lonely, bored & disconnected from the outside world.

“Few days after, another patient came in. We bonded. Days later, patients trooped in.

“Are people observing self-isolation and social distancing?” I was so scared for Nigeria.

“The next days were tough. No appetite. The nausea, vomit & stooling was unbearable. I’m a blood type A & #COVID19 dealt with  me. I’ll share daily symptoms & recovery process in a video tomorrow.

“I thought I was going to die and  contemplated a succession plan for  @StandtoEndRape”

Osowobi explained how she and other coronavirus patients were managed at the isolation centre.

She described the medical team as fabulous.

A major highlight was how she was on 31 tablets per day which she ended up vomiting.

She said: “I was on drugs daily. Sometimes, I‘d take 8 tablets in the morning, 13 tablets in the afternoon, 10 at night. My system threw everything out!

“Water, food, soap and  all disgusted me. But, I’d look at the wall and  force myself to stay hydrated — drank ORS. I fought to live! I fought!!”

Notwithstanding, Osowobi, who was the third Nigerian to be infected by Coronavirus, said she later tested negative.

She added: “Days after, the doctors shared agood news that I tested negative. I shared this news with family and friends! My blood sample was taken and I also tried to donate my plasmapheresis to help others. I hoped to be discharged.

“I waited to be discharged, but for two days, nothing happened. I continued the medication and asked to be in a separate ward. Sadly, I remained in the same ward as all others rooms were full.

“My ward had people who were positive. What if I get re-infected? For them, I was a beacon of hope and they needed me gone to register the progress.”

She recounted her encounter with a doctor in her last moments in the Isolation Centre

She quoted the doctor as saying “…You’ll stay a few more days. You know we take nose, mouth & sputum samples.”

“Am I still positive,?”I asked.

“No, you’re negative,” the doctor replied.

“The doctor apologised for the delay. I was anxious to go home but remained calm. I wanted to be free from this pain.

“I was unsure of what was going on. Why haven’t I been discharged? Should I be in the same ward? Could I get re-infected? I was worried but remained calm.

“On the 3rd day, Doctors said, “well, we worked with the info we had of you testing negative, but one result came back positive.”

“My family & friends were becoming anxious. People in my ward who earlier celebrated the news of my result suddenly lost hope.

“Why are you still here? You shouldn’t be here with us. You should be separated from us now…People in my ward muttered. I tried to calm them.

“Today, I am proud to inform you that I murdered COVID-19  and I have tested negative twice! I have been discharged! I bless God for His mercies. Coronavirus is NOT a death sentence. People can survive and I HAVE!

“The nurses at IDH Yaba were fab(Fabulous). They deserve accolades for their hard work. Thank you Governor  @jidesanwoolu  for coming to see me.”

She said a takeaway from her ordeal was the value of friendship despite being stigmatized.

She said: “This experience reminded me of the value of friendship. Some people I refer to as friends speculated about this, but never reached out to check.

Thank you still. Back to the grind!

“Huge thanks to my family,  @Triciabiz and Sola Odetola who were my backbone. Thanks to everyone who called, sent messages and tried to contact me. I am grateful and well. This experience reminded me of the value of friendship.

“Thanks to @ProfAkinAbatyomi, the health team at IDH+ Lagos State. The food was good. Thanks to @dondekojo for helping me get help. Thanks to my chat buddy, @akintonminde

“Thank you@KelechiAFC and @lailajohnsosal for the mental and material support

“Some stigmatized me based on an article with subtle messages like “why did she come back to Nigeria?” Nigeria is my home.  Coronavirus is NOT a death sentence. People can survive and I HAVE!

“Here to remind you that no matter how you itch to do it or how convenient it may seem, never use your friend’s situation or information to score points. It’s a crass behaviour!!! Don’t be that person.

About Author

TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR With a deeply heavy heart and profound sense of personal loss, I join millions of Nigerians and friends around the world to mourn the passing of our former President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, his children, and his entire extended family. I also condole with the government and people of Katsina State, especially the Daura Emirate, where President Buhari’s journey in life began — a town whose name has become inextricably linked with his legacy. President Buhari’s record of service to Nigeria is almost unparalleled. From the battlefield to the ballot box, he stood as a sentinel of duty. As a military officer, Head of State, and twice-elected President, he offered over five decades of his life to the service of our nation in times of strife and in peaceful times — guided always by a belief in discipline, integrity, and nationhood. What often went unnoticed in public commentary was his unwavering commitment to the core values that bind any serious society: order, punctuality, and accountability. He did not just talk about these values; he lived them. He was perhaps the most punctual public servant I ever encountered — never late to cabinet meetings, always respecting the time of others. It may seem a small thing, but in governance, it is everything. It sets a tone. He had a deep yearning for a society governed by rules, not by impulse. This found early expression in his War Against Indiscipline, a campaign often misread as rigid but rooted in a desire to rebuild a citizenry of order, courtesy, and civic responsibility. I feel privileged to have served in his cabinet — first in the consolidated Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and later in the restructured Ministry of Works and Housing. President Buhari was not a man to micromanage; instead, he gave you the space and the trust to deliver. With that trust, however, came the highest expectations of discipline, results, and honesty. He had a quiet strength. Yet, within and outside the cabinet, I witnessed his compassion — his deep concern for the poor, the pensioner, the soldier in the trenches, the almajiri child, and the underserved in every part of this country. Under his leadership, the nation confronted formidable challenges: insurgency, economic volatility, a global pandemic, and deep political tension. Yet he remained consistent — never ruled by noise or poll ratings, only by the burden of responsibility and his belief in posterity’s judgment. His death marks the end of a defining chapter in Nigeria’s journey — one marked by sacrifice, moral authority, and patriotic resolve. But even in death, President Muhammadu Buhari leaves behind a living legacy: one of service above self, of discipline without drama, of truth without theatrics. May the Almighty Allah (SWT), whom he served with devotion and humility, forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest in Aljannah Firdaus. Adieu, Mai Gaskiya as you were fondly referred to. Nigeria salutes you. Signed, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN CON

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TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR With a deeply heavy heart and profound sense of personal loss, I join millions of Nigerians and friends around the world to mourn the passing of our former President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, his children, and his entire extended family. I also condole with the government and people of Katsina State, especially the Daura Emirate, where President Buhari’s journey in life began — a town whose name has become inextricably linked with his legacy. President Buhari’s record of service to Nigeria is almost unparalleled. From the battlefield to the ballot box, he stood as a sentinel of duty. As a military officer, Head of State, and twice-elected President, he offered over five decades of his life to the service of our nation in times of strife and in peaceful times — guided always by a belief in discipline, integrity, and nationhood. What often went unnoticed in public commentary was his unwavering commitment to the core values that bind any serious society: order, punctuality, and accountability. He did not just talk about these values; he lived them. He was perhaps the most punctual public servant I ever encountered — never late to cabinet meetings, always respecting the time of others. It may seem a small thing, but in governance, it is everything. It sets a tone. He had a deep yearning for a society governed by rules, not by impulse. This found early expression in his War Against Indiscipline, a campaign often misread as rigid but rooted in a desire to rebuild a citizenry of order, courtesy, and civic responsibility. I feel privileged to have served in his cabinet — first in the consolidated Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and later in the restructured Ministry of Works and Housing. President Buhari was not a man to micromanage; instead, he gave you the space and the trust to deliver. With that trust, however, came the highest expectations of discipline, results, and honesty. He had a quiet strength. Yet, within and outside the cabinet, I witnessed his compassion — his deep concern for the poor, the pensioner, the soldier in the trenches, the almajiri child, and the underserved in every part of this country. Under his leadership, the nation confronted formidable challenges: insurgency, economic volatility, a global pandemic, and deep political tension. Yet he remained consistent — never ruled by noise or poll ratings, only by the burden of responsibility and his belief in posterity’s judgment. His death marks the end of a defining chapter in Nigeria’s journey — one marked by sacrifice, moral authority, and patriotic resolve. But even in death, President Muhammadu Buhari leaves behind a living legacy: one of service above self, of discipline without drama, of truth without theatrics. May the Almighty Allah (SWT), whom he served with devotion and humility, forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest in Aljannah Firdaus. Adieu, Mai Gaskiya as you were fondly referred to. Nigeria salutes you. Signed, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN CON