Implications of COVID-19 and job loss on peace and security in Nigeria

Job insecurity and abrupt massive retrenchment of employees in virtually all sectors of the Nigerian economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic have plunged the nation into a breeding ground for youth crisis and overall insecurity of lives and properties. As these menaces threaten the land's peace and security, causing the Nigerian economy's fortunes to dwindle, it calls for concern among peace and conflict management experts to find long-term solutions to these threats. Hence, this paper is aimed at examining the effects of the novel COVID-19 pandemic on job losses as it affects the peace and security of Nigeria. A secondary method of data collection was used, in which reports, journals, and internet-based articles were reviewed and their content analysed. The paper reviewed both the natural origin theory and the conspiracy theory of the coronavirus. Based on the literature reviewed, the paper revealed that the flare of the novel coronavirus in Nigeria has posed a serious threat to overall peace and security in the wake of lockdowns and closure of businesses, which by implication has forced numerous employees of about 42 per cent to lose their jobs in various sectors of the Nigerian economy, and nearly 40 million Nigerians were projected to lose their jobs by the end of the year 2020–2021, arising from the fall in demand for and supply of goods and services due to lockdowns, restriction of movement, and social distancing measures, among others, put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. The paper also revealed that there was a ban on social and religious gatherings, social distancing, wearing of nose masks, lockdown and imposition of curfews, travel bans, stay at home policy, among others, as measures to stop or reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. To cushion the effects of the coronavirus on the economy of Nigeria, the government provided both monetary and fiscal palliative measures for the most vulnerable, though the stimulus packages were commendable but ineffective for lack of appropriate parameters for their implementation. Arising from the above, it was recommended that for peace to reign, employees should avoid putting all their eggs in one basket, and for unforeseen contingencies such as this novel pandemic, employees should have an extra source of income by going into side businesses like blogging, rentals, online advertising, and investment in stocks with high returns.