Coronavirus: 80% of Nigerians say they have no savings to live on if lockdown is extended
As we are moving gradually to the end of the additional two weeks lockdown imposed on Lagos, Ogun and the FCT, Legit.ng asks in a social media poll how long the residents can live on their savings if the lockdown is extended.
Despite the lockdown, Nigeria is recording a higher increase in COVID-19 cases on a daily basis. More states are recording new cases and the death toll is also rising.
Recently, the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, said President Muhammadu Buhari would have to take tough decisions next week when the current lockdown will expire.
The state governors have also agreed to impose an inter-state lockdown for two weeks to check state-to-state spread.
All these point to the possibility of an extension of the lockdown.
However, can Nigerians, especially those living in the states under lockdown, bear additional weeks of lockdown?
Out of over 1000 respondents who participated in the poll by Legit.ng on Facebook, 80% said they have no savings to live on if the lockdown is extended.
The remaining 20% said they can live on their savings for one to two weeks or more if there is an extension of the lockdown.
The result is similar on the Twitter poll where about 800 people participated. Sixty-six (66) percent said they "don't even have savings".
Seventeen (17) percent said they can live on the savings for one to two weeks if the lockdown is extended, six percent said they can for three to four weeks while 11% said their savings can last them more than a month under lockdown.
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Meanwhile, following the governors' agreement to impose an inter-state lockdown for two weeks, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday, April 22, warned against any further extension of the lockdown.
NLC president Ayuba Wabba in a letter addressed to Boss Mustapha, the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, warned that the situation would likely get out of hand if the lockdown is extended.
The letter which was dated Tuesday, April 14, and signed by Wabba, also warned that the lockdown extension beyond one month may trigger social unrest.
Wabba pointed out that the states under total lockdown are Nigeria's economic and administrative nerves centres.
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Source: Legit.ng