The impact of Covid-19 on the Nigerian worker, both public, private and in the informal sector, can not be overemphasised, with many having just a meal a day, while others fear for job losses.
We met a university graduate who for many years has joined his father’s business of hawking fried corn and grandnut on the streets of Abuja, at the foot of very important offices, which could have offered him a job.
Although he refused to grant ait.live an interview while engaged in his business, he shockingly said he owns a car and has been married hawking nuts and that he prefers to remain in the informal sector, hawking nuts than working in any organised private sector or public office.
Unfortunately, he remains one of the informal sector self-employed Nigerians who has felt the brunt of the Covid-19 lockdown as he can only manage to feed once a day, due to piled up bills before him.
Surprisingly, some civil servants whose salaries never stopped throughout the lockdown, have bitter tears than this petty grandnut seller.
While Nwike Anthony from the organised private sector aligns with God to fix his stranded business, a cross section of civil societies want Nigerians to imbibe the culture of self discipline, to navigate the hardship created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also Read: Cross River State will now start recording Covid-19 cases – Ayade
As millions of Nigerians both in the public and private sectors continue to confess not to have received any palliative or stimulus package, the days ahead for most citizens may just be some of the toughest in recent times.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
