‘No Koro, All Na Scam’: The response and public reactions to corona virus pandemic and the implications in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

The novel corona virus (COVID-19) has claimed lives, affected livelihoods and humanity as a whole. In spite of government efforts to tackle the pandemic through public awareness programmes, there seems to be no improvement. The article investigates responses and public reactions to COVID-19 as well as its implications  for Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria. It assumes a qualitative approach through fieldwork in Abeokuta. Data was obtained from in-depth interviews, media reports and official social media pages. The Health Belief  Model (HBM) of health communication which attempts to understand the widespread failure of people in accepting disease preventives was adopted. The study finds that civil and international communities have assisted the government in managing the issue. It further finds that in spite of the awareness raising campaign to prevent and limit the spread of the disease, public reaction was docile. Factors responsible for this include cultural beliefs, distrust of government and double-dealing, religion, fake news, politicisation of issues, and international influence. These factors consequently have wider implications on public health, health communication practice and management of future pandemics. The article recommends, among other things, the imperative for the government to work on gaining public trust and in managing health related information accurately and successfully.