Author: Jessica Ugodibe, Lagos Nigeria
Summary
Prior to the pandemic, A mother of 5 children who worked for 13 years cleaning dormitories at the nearby University of Lagos, earning 18,000 Naira (US$24) a month; But with the shut down of the university in March 2020 to prevent the spread of the virus, Okuomo, as a casual worker, lost her income and Nigeria’s social security system does not guarantee benefits to people who lose their jobs.
Within a few months, Okuomo had exhausted her meagre savings and was unable to put enough food on the table for her children. “We don’t eat like we used to. People who used to eat three meals are now eating one,” she said in August 2020. “We [have] our fill in the morning, and sometimes at night we just soak two handfuls of garri [a staple made from cassava] and sleep.
The wave of coronavirus pandemic that hit the world coincides with Nigeria’s struggles with her newly attained position as the poverty capital of the world. The agony of poverty in the country coupled with the coronavirus pandemic subjects the country to a quandary of a dual-pandemic scourge.
This shows that multidimensional poverty in Nigeria is pervasive and has become deepened by the pandemic which led to a shutdown of economic activities in various countries of the world.
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