Sociological reflections on the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper on the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Based on sociological perspectives, the main objective of the paper is to examine and measure the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on: (i) income (ii) quality of life and (iii) standard of living in Nigeria. Data for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were derived from self-administered questionnaire and informal interviews held with labour leaders, community and religious leaders, artisans and employers of labour in the private sector of the economy. For the primary data, a sample of one thousand respondents drawn from the six states comprising the southwest geo-political zone of Nigeria. The secondary data were derived from news bulletins, television and radio broadcasts, newspapers and magazines, online social media among others. Data were analyzed using simple percentages and content analysis. The study was anchored on the functionalist perspective. The main thrust of our arguments is that whatever happens with Covid-19 pandemic and the health sector in general will trigger some ripple effects in the other social institutions that makes up the society. No social institution is an island unto itself; every social institution works in an interdependent and interrelated manner to maintain stability and equilibrium in the society. The main finding of the study is that demand for social services dropped, while people who worked in the private sector experienced significant drop in their incomes. The findings of the study largely revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic had significant negative impact on incomes, quality of life and standards of living of the average Nigerian. These three variables took a nose-dive since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and thereafter. Again, there are no adequate social security or social capital or social safety nets for many Nigerians, this aggravated the severity of the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The palliatives offered by government at all levels of governance are paltry and grossly inadequate to alleviate and mitigate the overwhelming negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a matter of fact, findings from this study revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated the incidence, severity and depth of poverty among Nigerians. The main thesis of the paper is that the government needs to do more to cushion the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria by putting in place some social welfare programmes which will have direct positive impact on incomes, quality of life and enhance the standards of living of the average Nigerian. This paper recalls demand for fundamental revisions of the political economy framework and macro-economic policies in a way that enhances the welfare of the Nigerian working class and the masses at large.