COVID-19 Pandemic- Challenges and Opportunities in Nigeria

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has created enormous challenges for the people and economies around the globe and the fallout from this would permanently reshape our world as it continues to unfold. The new virus disease (covid-19) was unknown before it spread in Wuhan, China, in December, 2019 and it really dealt a blow to the world, particularly the developed societies. The impact of the pandemic can be seen across the sectors (Jones et al 2020). The paper highlights the challenges faced globally by all sectors during the pandemic and the underlying opportunities to fill existing gap in the system. The paper also, in a brief discourse, looked at what the situation was in the context of Nigeria. The paper underlines governments efforts and response towards containing and fighting the pandemic and ameliorating the effects of the measures undertaken by her to checkmate its spread through restriction of movement, lockdown and social/physical distancing. The paper concludes that the economy should be reformed and that government should advance to digital technology; that it is in everyone’s interest that people who feel unwell should not check their pocket before they seek medical attention, that government should make policy of free health care, and do well to strengthen the weak institutions by investing in health care infrastructure, to improve on the health facilities and the ability of the national health system to withstand any future outbreak of contagious diseases.