COVID-19 LOCKDOWN AND IT IMPLICATION ON POVERTY LEVEL OF COMMUNITIES IN JERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assesses the effect of COVID-19 lockdown and its impacts on poverty levels of small business owners, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and some community members in Jere Local Government area of Borno State, Nigeria. It examines how the Covid-19 lockdown affects poor people, people with special needs and income of small scale business owners at Jere during the lockdown in Borno State. The study used both primary and secondary data to obtained information; primary data were obtained through the administration of questionnaires, and focused group discussion with community members, IDPs and small scale business owners at Tashan Bama in Jere local government, while secondary data were obtained from journals, articles and Internet materials. Thus, data was analyzed using qualitative method and simple percentage was basically used for the analysis. This study found that the covid-19 lockdown has severely affected the income and capital of small scale business owners as the government enforced lockdown which forcefully halted business activity, consequently increases the poverty level of unfortunate people such as street beggars and daily pay workers (labourers). More so, it has crease poor heath do to starvation, lack of exercise among the IDPs and poor. The study adopts the Human Needs theory as a theoretical guide. Thus, circumstances have forced small business owners to consume what they sell, instead of the interest of their daily sales or spending their capital to support their families during the period of the lockdown. This study recommends that in circumstance of this nature government should always focus on the poor, beggars, people with special needs and small business owners when administering aids. Assistance to beneficiary’s should be distributed by going to their houses and should be accompanied by security guards, and authorities should use video coverage/CCTV and biometrics devices when distributing food and monitoring the aid process to ensure transparency and prevent diversion.