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Currently, the whole world is in the midst of a global crisis, caused by the appearance of Coronavirus. The pandemic has affected every person, every family in its own way, forcing people to adapt and adopt new ways of living. Many people have suffered because of Covid-19 and some even lost their loved ones to the disease. The economic and social situation is unstable, and many organizations are still managing their crisis response in accordance with recent events. The spread of the disease is strictly country-specific, and to discuss the issue in more details, taking an in-depth look into its impact on a specific country proves to be more productive. In light of recent events, it can be useful to examine the impact of the coronavirus on life in Africa, its culture, habits, and worldviews. To view the people and traditions of Africa from a global perspective, an inspection of one of its major countries, Nigeria in particular, must be taken. This essay will focus on the spread and effect the Covid-19 pandemic had in Nigeria, its cultural impact.
The Spread
As documented by the national public agencies, the spread of the Pandemic started around late-March to early-April in Africa and has been rising in numbers ever since. While accounting for only 5% total of the affected world population, the quick spread of the disease is nevertheless concerning (Mwai and Giles). Nigerian infected population totals about 46 thousand people, which is the third-highest number of cases in Africa (Mwai and Giles). With a lack of proper diagnosis available, many potential carriers are overlooked, worsening the situation and spreading the disease. This means that even the data acquired by the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control might not fully reflect the severity of the situation.
The death rate is fairly low, around 0.5 percent, which is explained by the average population being rather young (Mwai and Giles). Relative to other African countries, Nigeria is concerningly noted for not doing enough tests for the Coronavirus (Mwai and Giles). It also suffers from the same lack of available research data that plagues all other African countries and prevents them from properly estimating the risks. Covid-19 disrupts the flow of life for everyone in the country, imposing many restrictions and putting people at risk. On a brighter note, according to the World Health Organization, the rising trend for the Covid-19 spread is starting to subside, and the number of diagnoses cases is dropping. This occurrence is caused by the absence of new cases, which caused the number of infected people to slowly drop.
An Analysis of the Initial Response
As a way to gain a better understanding of the topic and the timeline of the events, the initial appearance of the Coronavirus in Nigeria will be conducted. It was documented that the disease first appeared there on February 27, 2020. By April 11 of the same year, there were at least 318 confirmed cases and 190 deaths (Adegboye et al.). The researchers document that the virus had spread exponentially during the course of the first 45 days, and has been doubling in growth at the speed of about 9.8 days (Adegboye et al.). By analyzing the speed of the spread the researchers have found that while Nigeria follows the same general trends as all other counties, the number of cases there is significantly lower than in other parts of the world. This assessment allows one to understand that Nigeria was not affected by the Covid-19 as hard as it could have been. Since no specific measures need to be implemented, the main goal is to minimize the losses and stop the spread of the disease. The main priorities for counteraction are to stop disease transmission on a local level.
The Media Response and Audience Reaction
One of the most important facets of crisis resolution is mass media coverage. The information provided by the news and the internet is what keeps most people well-informed about the current events and the measures that might need to be taken. The portrayal of the issue by the media determines the media response, and can majorly influence the public perception. During the pandemic, presenting accurate, up to date information is crucial to the well-being of the people. Given all the reasons mentioned above, the examination of the media coverage of the Covid-19 in Nigeria is an important part of the discussion. A study employing a quantitative design examined the newspaper coverage of Covid-19 and the reaction to it, from January to March of 2020. The results have shown that the newspapers were dominated by news reports and opinion pieces, with all major publications reporting in the outbreak to some extent (Nwakpu et al.). The authors of the study conclude by stating that the media has helped the Nigerians sufficiently prepare for the pandemic and take precautionary actions (Nwakpu et al.). This analysis shows that timely reporting has helped decrease the impact of the coronavirus and stop the disease from spreading.
Impact on Education
Because of the spread of the global pandemic, education has suffered major setbacks all around the globe. With a forced transition to online learning, many schools and educational institutions were forced to adapt to changing circumstances. Nigerian institutions are not an exception. The extreme conditions have exposed the troubling state of the education sector and the problems of the school system (Abari et al.). Underfunded institutions are struggling to provide quality education to many students forced to stay at home. The strain on the education system has revealed the severe problems with the funding and the quality of teaching. Many students were forced to skip school, and lost much progress due to the pandemic.
A scholar concerned with this topic notes that the pandemic has emerged to break and collapse the walls that surround our education sector , stating that the crisis offered a new, fresh look at the overarching problems the Nigerian education faces (Abari et al. 39). The author also says that the stakeholders in education must take this opportunity to reflect and embrace the digital shift to increase the quality of education and follow the global trends in the industry (Abari et al.). The only way to effectively remedy the system is to improve it in response to global trends and maintain a high quality of education.
Impact on Economy and Life
The Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the world economy and the lives of people. It is undeniable that an event of such a grand scale and severity affects all countries in the world, but the specific consequences of each place are unique. In Nigeria, the pandemic has put a big strain on the population and has left many poor people with no financial support. As noted in the Hope Ikwes paper, Nigeria does not have a well- developed welfare system to support the struggling individuals, leaving many to risk their lives for survival (Ikwe). With most people employed in the private sector, earning a living is difficult, especially at the time of crisis. The local and small businesses suffer the most, with many being forced to close or working with almost no profits. Corruption is another prominent issue of the Nigerian government, meaning that the finances distributed to aid the poor often simply do not reach them (Ikwe).
With such an unreliable system of governance and support, many people have to depend on each other and develop close-knit communities that help to ensure survival (Ikwe). Such support systems between people are a part of Nigerian and African culture, and their presence has been cemented by history. However, exactly this cultural arrangement presents the biggest danger during the Coronavirus pandemic (Ikwe). As the disease spreads between people in close proximity, it is becoming more and more dangerous to stay as a collective. The lockdown measures have saved many from dying of Covid-19, but left the people with virtually no support (Aronu et al.). Nigerian population has to adapt to an unfamiliar way of living, with almost no community or government aid. The changes are also very rapid, leaving many no time to adapt. The current events present a huge danger to the Nigerian way of life, becoming a concern for all people, regardless of age.
Works Cited
Abari, A. O., and N. O. Orunbon. Building Bridges and Walls: Education and COVID-19 in Nigeria . Research Journal in Comparative Education, vol. 1, no. 1, 2020, pp. 39-52, Web.
Adegboye, Oyelola, et al. Novel Coronavirus in Nigeria: Epidemiological Analysis of the First 45 Days of the Pandemic. medRxiv, 2020, Web.
Aronu, C. O., N. U. Otty, J. C. Ehiwario, and P. N. Okafor. The Impact of the Lockdown Measure on the Confirmed Cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria . Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, Vol. 26, no. 6. 2020, pp. 110-9, Web.
Ikwe, H. (2020).The Impact of Corona Virus on the Socio-Economic Life of Nigerians. Culture e Studi del Sociale, 5( 1), Special issue, 383-388.
Mwai, Peter, and Christopher Giles. Coronavirus: How Fast Is It Spreading in Africa? BBC. 2020, Web.
Nwakpu, Ekwutosi Sanita, et al. Nigeria Media Framing of Coronavirus Pandemic and Audience Response. Health Promotion Perspectives, vol. 10, no. 3, 2020, pp. 192199., Web.
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