INTRODUCTION
The recent Corona virus pandemic that hit the world has created unrest even from the first week of its outbreak, many activities disrupted and several events were placed on hold, panic on the face of the people, insecurity and hunger during the stay at home order by the Government in order to curb the pandemic.
The stay at home order was declared as a means of controlling and preventing the wide spread of this deadly virus due to lack of cure at that time. Millions of people became unemployed as many employers stopped transacting business due to economic downcast. Those who earn a living through daily proceeds were not left out and from research were the most affected as questions as ‘hard as how do we eat?’ started bothering minds.
The essential service providers on the other hand such as the health care services were basically the hope of everyone home and abroad, facing and combating the deadly virus doesn’t seem easy to come by, to some extent, some of the regular first aid drugs became expensive as about 5% of drugs were suggested to have the tendency of curing and or preventing the covid 19 virus, for example the price of Chloroquine which is a regular malaria drug inflated as high as triple times of the initial price, also, many people avoid attending hospitals to complain about minor symptoms, nobody wants to hear that he or she contacted covid 19 virus.
Having the lockdown last for more than half of the year 2020 and even extending more in some cities especially in Wuhan, China where the deadly contagion is reported to originate from, also in the United States as the health effect were intense and differs in on city than the other, many people started to find an alternative means of livelihood such as taking up a training, learning handwork, working from home through the use of internet service providers.
The court on the other hand was not spared, access to justice during the pandemic seemed like an impossible task, there was an apparent confusion as to how the court system and sitting will continue, considering the stay at home and subsequent social distance directive. There were urgent matters of course which is evident in, several circulars issued in the judicial sector. In March 2020, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Mohammed Tanko directed all Heads of Court to suspend all court sitting for an initial period of two weeks save matters that are significantly urgent, essential and time-bound according to the extant laws of Nigeria. This direction didn’t take time before another circular was issued by the Chief Justice of Nigeria suspending the court sitting indefinitely.
The Pandemic Untouchable.
It was obvious that during the pandemic, almost everything was shut, it was as if the world was coming to an end, in fact many people saw it as the time of receiving the sign of the beast. The only thing that was spared during this period was the hospital bed and the cyberspace. A lot of workers especially those in the big corporate organizations were requested to stay at home, some working from home while others were doing next to nothing, the markets were closed down and the stores had its timing, nothing was almost functioning right.
Security personnel were all around the nooks and crannies of major cities asking questions about the purpose of civilian movements and you are assured to be redirected your way back home if you do not have a genuine excuse or rather face the mobile court for sanctions, it was that critical a situation.
As time went on, people began to find alternative ways of buying and selling their goods, the internet never halt for a moment, People could shop online for their daily needs such as groceries, diapers, home appliances, clothes, etc using shopify, spotify and similar online stores, moving into new apartments, social media became the new office space, meetings, interviews, weddings and other events could be held via teleconferencing such as Zoom as well as online transactions became the new norm.
Talking about technology in the Judicial system, the impact and usefulness of technology in this sector was not delayed before being put to use, as a matter of fact, the concept of justice reigned during the pandemic, everyone who is desirous of fairness to a large extent could be attended to via zoom as opposed to the traditional court system. For example in Borno state, the High Court of the state held its first ever virtual court proceedings on the 27th of April, 2020. The court held the session by means of video teleconference platform, Zoom and presided over by Justice Fadawu Umar of High Court No 13. The case with charge number BOHC/MG/CR/115/19, was a case of one Ali Mohammed who was arraigned for the offence of culpable homicide not punishable by death. Justice Fadawu upon hearing the case and considering testimonies of witnesses and exhibits before him acquitted Ali of the crime.
Similarly , in Lagos state this development has been emulated, the Chief Judge of the High Court of Lagos, Hon Justice Kazeem Alogba, issued a Practice Direction for Remote Hearing of cases which came in force on the 4th of May 2020. The Federal Capital Territory Abuja is not left out in this progressive action.
The question one would ask is, were these things not in existence before the pandemic? Could you buy our groceries online, shop, hold meetings, hold events and so on before the lockdown? You already know the answer which is a big YES.
So what then happened during the pandemic? Why is the globe all about tech after the pandemic was over?
You know how you got used to using your phone all day during the pandemic, how you attended that meeting online, would stream all the adds that pops up on your phone, how you would check that necklace you are seeing online, got awarded that contract, look at that dress, that shoes, that advertisement, that nice cushion that you could place at the corner of your room, oh that tie yeah!
Well the answer is a two way thing which I will categorize as
The Consumer Perspective and;
The Investor/Business owner Perspective.
The Consumer Perspective
You as a consumer, while in the comfort of your house during the pandemic, doing the necessaries such as holding meetings, replying mails, buying groceries etc.
This category of person discovers that he could do more things online rather than physically during the pandemic lockdown and now sees it as a better way of handling his things and would take that option any time any day. Some government officials are now realizing that their staffs can work from home and even recommends it for ease in the office space.
The Investor/Business owner perspective
The investor/ business owner also in the comfort of his house makes the store accessible online for the consumer who view and shop what they need, making the application available to hold meetings etc.
This category of person discovered the crowd his or her site pulled during the pandemic and how his business boomed, constantly works on how he could even effectively upgrade his application and site for better business deals.
Organizational Tech
Some organizations have moved from having a face to face and paper transactions to an electronic one, working and transacting fully with their customers through the electronic space.
This is due to the realization of the full impact of the digital space and its abundance of advantages.
Learning how to build sites is a big deal now and cannot be underestimated, many organizations, big or small, needs this qualification and it is something that might give you an edge over another.
Having your own Tech Startup
As a phone user, you tend to consume more data doing your online transactions, have you ever wondered where these datas go?
Using the internet to purchase products and services, connect with friends and family, gain access to information and so on consumes your data subscription which is in turn a way of pulling traffic to that particular site which has one advert placement of the other. Companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo etc makes or generate their income through the sale of advertisement which is one of the commonest way of generating revenue by the internet companies. Some companies that need exposureto potential customers can purchase advertising space on no cost content site in an attempt to reach consumers. The internet companies may as well sell data collected directly from users to other companies in need of feedback and how to grow their business and build their targets.
For example Amazon breaking down its modes of revenue states as follows; subscription service (5.47%),third party seller service (17.92%), physical stores (3.2%), online stores (60.92%) etc. while Microsoft has its listed as linkedin being and underlying platform(2.52), consulting and product support service(6.21%)s, Microsoft office system28.23%), advertising(7.75%), windows and Pc operating system(9.59%), server products and tools(24.19%) etc.(fourweekmba.com)
Another method of generating revenue from a tech start-up is Subscription Pricing;
This is where your audience has to subscribe and accept the payment of a particular amount. It is usually based on monthly or yearly billing. Your customer sign up, put in their credit card details and you get paid every month.
If you are offering a subscription based service you have to be sure it is something people will need and find value for and balance their needs effectively. However one needs to be careful in terms of pricing on a not too low not too high considering the type of service you are rendering.
Fortunately, a lot of courses are online on this aspect where you can learn how to build your own Tech startup, several step by step instructions on Google even until you start posting your own stuffs, creating adds as well as pulling traffic.
The Legal Tech-startup is not lagging behind as there has been methods of reviewing several case materials online such as the Qeens Bench, the Weekly Law Reports, Law Dictionary, Encyclopedia, the All England Reports etc, for example the Law Pavilion where you have unlimited access to judicial precedents was one of the first legal tech-startups developed in Nigeria.
The illiterates
An illiterate could be categorized as a person who cannot read nor write. Unfortunately these categories of people may not be able to benefit directly in the tech-world, but smartness might be all that is required to get them involved.
Having the attackers mindset
It is ok to have it in mind that the Tech world is not out of fault in its totality. In this world of viruses as well as hacking, it is important to be conscious of this possibilities if you are thinking of venturing into the Tech world so as to build the strength of your tech from the scratch, do not wait until your site get hacked and your customers duped before you strengthen your sites as well as applications. This could bring your integrity down as well as put you in a serious trouble.
Conclusion
The tech-world is expanding and almost everything can now be done online, it used to be only research, making calls, sending messages and or information. However it began to expand and to buying things and or making payments, then the Covid 19 pandemic knocked thereby putting almost everything on hold. The only lucky ones were those who had online businesses, those who were quick enough to maneuver their ways in having their businesses online and an those who decided to be as safe as possible by restricting their movements and buying online. The pandemic paved way for many other actions which is not limited in number.
Covid 19 pandemic has not come to stay but its effect hangs on. The Tech world is its effect and it cannot in my own view be too much.
Olayinka A. Olaore is a legal practitioner based in Abuja
She can be reached on olayinkaoa9@gmail.com
Very educating