The Covid-19 virus: Charting the way forward for post-pandemic planning and recovery in Nigeria

Abstract

The COVID-19 virus has jolted the world in much the same way as the 1918 Spanish Flu did; severely rattling even the public healthcare systems of the United States and other advanced countries which, prior to the pandemic, were considered formidable. Although advanced countries have since deployed the huge resources at their disposals to address deficits and to shore up their public health capacities, ineffective health and economic measures mean that Nigeria, like most parts of Africa, is behind the rest of the world. This article which relied on secondary sources of data explored the economic and health policy deficits that have undermined pandemic preparedness and post-COVID-19 planning and recovery in Nigeria. The study compared the literature on pandemic preparedness in developed countries and Nigeria and found that in contrast to the former, the latter is seriously ill-prepared to respond to unanticipated emergencies. Owing to the findings, it was concluded that weak public health care infrastructure, the absence of robust social safety nets and poorly conceived policies are at the root of Nigeria’s failure to respond proactively and decisively to unexpected shocks. To address the challenges and chart a way forward for recovery, it was recommended that the Nigerian government should collaborate with international agencies with a view to increasing the country’s health sector funding, providing interest and collateral-free loan reliefs to
vulnerable groups, and strengthening the ongoing fight against corruption.