Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the religious responses of many Nigerians to the recent global pandemic, COVID-19, and its implications on the citizens. The researcher argues that from 2019 until the post-Covid-19 period, many Nigerians prioritized religious interpretation and solution to COVID- over scientific

Paper long abstract:

Nigeria today is recognized as one of the most religious sensitive countries in the world and on the top list of Africa. Religion for Muslims and Christians is considered sacrosanct and imperative of all social institutions among ethnicity, culture, and identity.

Even with the presence of Western medicines all across Nigeria, many citizens of the country still look up to religion, faith, and spirituality first in terms of health and diseases. This is evident in the recent international pandemics that the world experienced, such as Ebola, Flu, and Covid-19. For example, in 2019, while the West and China locked down their countries and went in search of scientific solutions to COVID-19, many Nigerian people, Muslims, Christians, and African Indigenous Religious practitioners went in search of the religious reasons/interpretations for the pandemic and spiritual solutions to the same. As a result of that, many extremists came up with conspiracy theories of either denying that COVID-19 is real or that it is a divine punishment to the world. The conspiracy theories of Covid-19 in Nigeria, people's response to the global pandemic, and its implications prompted this paper. While addressing this crisis, the researcher raises questions about the response of Nigerians to themes on health and diseases in general, but the recent COVID-19 in particular. What are the implications of such responses to the general citizenry of the country?

I look forward to presenting my findings at VAD 2024