Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Livelihood of Rural Community Dwellers in Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the effects of covid-19 pandemic on the livelihood of the rural community dwellers in Edo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 156 respondents. Structured interview schedule was used to collect data from the respondents which were subjected to descriptive and inferential analyses. The results revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 47.5 ± 16 years, about 61 percent of the respondents were males and majority (86.5%) had formal education with a mean annual income of N1233846.15. Majority engaged in multiple livelihood activities with arable farming (58.3%), agromarketing (34%) and petty trading (37.4%) taking the lead. Cash at hand (87.1%), access to land (76.9%), skill acquisition centre (86.7%), possession of mobile phones (90.1%), and access to markets (98.1%) were major livelihood assets of the respondents. Many (53.7%) of the respondents had indifferent perception towards Covid-19 pandemic while majority (64 %) indicated that the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on their livelihoods was low. Income, years of education and perception about covid-19 pandemic were significantly correlated with the effects of covid-19 pandemic on respondents’ livelihoods. The study concluded that Covid-19 pandemic did not seriously affect livelihoods of rural dwellers in the study area.

COVID-19 knowledge and practices in Jigawa State, Nigeria: A cross-sectional survey conducted during the second wave

“…COVID-19 was widely reported to have negatively impacted finances in Nigeria. In Edo State Nigeria, 36% of people reported a high negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic on their livelihood [ 48 ], and in Adamawa, Kogi and Oyo state, 83.3% of respondents reported a negative change in customer patronage and 86.6% reported that their business became indebted due to perishable goods in the lockdown period [ 49 ]. In a report by the Jigawa State Internal Revenue Board, the chairman disclosed that the state lost over 20% of the internally generated revenue from 2019 due to tax relief policies instituted during COVID-19 [ 50 ].…”