PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine the impact of community-based and driven approaches during the lockdowns and early periods of the pandemic. The study examines the impact and perceptions of the state-led intervention. This would help to discover a better approach for postpandemic interventions and policy responses.Design/methodology/approachThis article used the inductive method and gathered its data from surveys. In search of global opinions on COVID-19 responses received in communities, two countries in each continent with high COVID-19 infection per 100,000 during the peak period were chosen for study. In total, 13 community workers, leaders and members per continent were sampled. The simple percentile method was chosen for analysis. The simple interpretation was used to discuss the results.FindingsThe study showed that poor publicity of community-based interventions affected awareness and fame as most were mistaken for government interventions. The study found that most respondents preferred state interventions but preferred many communities or local assessments of projects and interventions while the projects were ongoing to adjust the project and intervention as they progressed. However, many preferred community-based and driven interventions.Research limitations/implicationsState secrecy and perceived opposition oppression limited data sourcing for this study in countries where state interventions are performed in secret and oppression of perceived opposition voices limited data collection in some countries. Thus, last-minute changes were made to gather data from countries on the same continent. An intercontinental study requires data from more countries, which would require more time and resources. This study was affected by access to locals in remote areas where raw data would have benefited the study.Practical implicationsThe absence of data from the two most populous countries due to government censorship limits access to over a third of the global population, as they make up 2.8 out of 7 billion.Social implicationsThe choice of two countries in each continent is representational enough, yet the absence of data from the two most populous countries creates a social identity gap.Originality/valueThe survey collected unique and genuine data and presents novel results. Thus, this study provides an important contribution to the literature on the subject. There is a need for maximum support for community-based interventions and projects as well as global data collection on community-based or driven interventions and projects.

Nigeria's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-ideological nature is a complexity that should spur a synergy for development in all spheres. The theory of dissipative structures employed suggests that. Contrarily, the pursuit of individual group interests to the detriment of others leads to entropy that dissipates development and economic growth that its population needs. Ethnic and religious militia emerged in response to such problems and threats that has brought in consistent loss of lives and properties which whip the economy and country leaving the state bleeding. Militia internationalisation are important factors discussed as well. This chapter looks at the factors behind the emergence of these militias and the consequences their activities have on local economies of their regions and the national economy.

The lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted child development. Some states in Nigeria made efforts to carry out remote learning for senior secondary schools, leaving behind those in the basic education category, namely Primary 1 to Junior Secondary School Class 3 (Elementary 1 class to 9th grade). The impact of this is examined through surveys administered to students and teachers across all levels. Teachers were specifically interviewed across all levels (primary, secondary, and university) to reveal the impact of the lockdown on the students and the school system. The interviews revealed beyond expectation that the economic impact of the country's macroeconomic situation led to job losses that moved families into poverty and exposed many children to extreme childhood poverty. The hyper-inflation in the country made educating children more difficult for struggling households. The lengthy time spent at home impacted all students including those who learned remotely. Infrastructural gaps, economic conditions, and poor access to basic amenities made it difficult for many children to study remotely. The excitement that accompanied the resumption to school (from the lockdown) was more social than educational. The economic impact on households weighed heavily on students, hence the slow post-lockdown recovery. Two years later, the effect lingers.