In lockdown we (dis)trust? Human (in)security concerns and government's response strategy to Covid-19 threats in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the human security implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures deployed to contain it in Nigeria. It argues that while the government adjudged lockdown to be a health security measure, the deficiency in its implementation threatened other dimensions of human security of some citizens, especially in Lagos and Ogun states and Abuja, where lockdown was first implemented. the study is exploratory with data from primary and secondary sources. Primary data were sourced from government records. Attention was focused on Lagos for qualitative examples to drive the paper's main argument. this choice was informed by Lagos' demographic concentration and leading roles as the epicentre and the most affected state. the period of lockdown under study ranged from March 30 (when it was announced) to early May (when the easing began), 2020. the study's findings, by unearthing the unintended consequences of the lockdown, contribute to existing knowledge on the fogs of national pandemic interventions.