Abstract
As the world battles the novel Coronavirus pandemic ravaging lives and destroying economies, many nations have entrusted the detection, handling and management of confirmed coronavirus cases to their leading public health institutions. For Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), charged with the said responsibility, faces a worrisome myriad of backlash from citizens' who regard their daily update of confirmed cases as misleading. In this survey, the researchers purposively study this category of sceptic individuals to understand their level of awareness of the virus and their perceptions about the government agency, to determine the factors responsible for the lack of confidence in the reportage, and how their confidence level may be boosted. The study adopted a mixed-method to recruit some 425 respondents that fit the profile of 'those who lack confidence in the NCDC daily reports'. Findings revealed that even the aware, educated, and high-income Nigerians equally constitute those with misperceptions and scepticism about the NCDC. Key reasons for the distrust include inconsistent reporting, secrecy about patients' database, and perceived corruption tendencies. Recommendations based on the findings call for increased openness and access to compelling information about activities to curtail the infection, especially transparency in treatment and budget spending.
Highlights
Originating in bats, the recent outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus, otherwise called COVID-19, started in Wuhan, China, and was first reported by Chinese officials in December 2019
Nigeria recorded its first case on February 7, 2020, and 31 days later, the Federal government imposed a lockdown on Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, and later on Kano States, while Governors of other States followed suit in efforts to limit the spread of the virus
The country saw an increasing level of distrust among some Nigerians regarding the accuracy of the daily reportage of confirmed cases by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and this was evident in the series of criticisms and public outcries against the government, on social media platforms
Summary
Originating in bats, the recent outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus, otherwise called COVID-19, started in Wuhan, China, and was first reported by Chinese officials in December 2019. Nigeria recorded its first case on February 7, 2020, and 31 days later, the Federal government imposed a lockdown on Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, and later on Kano States, while Governors of other States followed suit in efforts to limit the spread of the virus Within this period, the country saw an increasing level of distrust among some Nigerians regarding the accuracy of the daily reportage of confirmed cases by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and this was evident in the series of criticisms and public outcries against the government, on social media platforms. What may be done to boost the confidence level of citizens regarding the transparency of NCDC in handling issues about the Covid-19 virus?
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