Socio-Economic Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Nigerian Worker: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The current study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers in Nigeria from a socioeconomic standpoint. Nigeria remains one of the most highly affected countries on the African continent; hence the Nigerian government has emulated other countries in taking measures to curtail the spread of the pandemic. These measures include but are not limited to lockdown orders, due to which individuals stop going to work, as well as the closure of factories and businesses. The lockdown order has been applauded for being effective in curtailing the spread of the virus; however, it is deemed to adversely affect the Nigerian workers in both the public and private sectors. Many authors have contributed to literature related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still a paucity of literature investigating the socio-economic effect of the lockdown order on Nigerian workers. To the best of our knowledge, there is no empirical study that investigates the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impact on civil servants and bankers. The study adopted a survey research design and primary data gathered through the survey was analyzed. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire, which was filled in online using Google Forms. The collected data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and t-test statistical tools. The findings of the study revealed that COVID-19 has an inverse and minimal effect on the socio-economic condition of public and private sector workers. The research proposed, among other things, that the government should place mechanisms to curb excessive price increase of products and services, ensuring that workers in both the public and private sectors are not exploited during the COVID-19 pandemic.