Study shows Nigerians are more worried about contracting COVID-19 than insecurity and financial wellbeing
A recent survey has shown that more Nigerians are concerned about getting infected by the deadly COVID-19 than their financial wellbeing and security.
The survey was conducted among over 1,000 participants at the first session of a webinar organised by First Securities Discount House (FSDH) Group and monitored by Neusroom.
The online discussion with the theme – “A Global Pandemic: Local Realities and Peculiarities – A View from the Frontlines” was moderated by Hakeem Bello-Osagie. It had Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna and Godwin Obaseki of Edo as panelists.
In the survey, 57.12% (409) of 716 respondents said the potential impact of COVID-19 they are most concerned about is contacting the virus, while 31.28% (224) said they are concerned about their financial wellbeing, 11.59% (83) said they are most concerned about insecurity.
Before the Federal Government relaxed the lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun States, there were concerns that the five-week lockdown was already putting untold economic hardship on the populace most of whom are in the informal sector and depend on daily activities to earn a living.
Post COVID-19, 39.52% (264) of 668 respondents also said they consider government building and equipping more hospitals as the most important change to be made to the health sector.
35.03% (234) said they consider Public Private Partnerships while 25.45% (170) believe policies that encourage investment by foreign investors and the private sector should be considered.
Neusroom reported in April that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 had expressed shock at the level of infrastructural decadence in the Nigerian health sector.
According to Mustapha, he didn’t know the nation’s health sector was in such a terrible state until he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to chair the task force on COVID-19 which demanded that he had to travel across the nation.
“I can tell you for sure, I never knew that our entire healthcare infrastructure was in the state in which it is until I was appointed to do this work,” the SGF said. “If developed countries of the world are stretched despite their good capacity, then Nigeria needs to improve its own.”
Nigerians are also concerned over the level of infrastructural rot across all sectors of the nation and 65.55% (451) of 688 respondents want the government to take the health sector as an area of priority post COVID-19, followed by infrastructural development, which 16.72% (115) said should be given priority, 15.7% (108) want government to give priority to funding of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
84.13% (493) of 586 respondents said they are in support of inter-state border closure within the country to prevent the movement of people from one state to the other, while 15.87% (93) are against the closure. 52.04% (370) of 711 respondents also believe the relaxation of lockdown was premature, while 47.96% (341) believe it was in order.
Dr Alero Roberts, a senior lecturer at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) said the lockdown achieved part of its objective which was to detect, isolate and contain the spread of the disease.
She, however, said the country “was unable to contain the spread. Though the index case was completely contained, we missed the numerous other cases of Nigerians returning home from foreign countries”.
