Lagos slum dwellers struggle to find work post-lockdown

Inhabitants of Iwaya, a poor district in Nigeria’s commercial city of Lagos struggle to find work despite the ease on lockdown instituted by the government to curtail spread of the coronavirus. The fear of the pandemic and the economic situation prevents them from earning enough to survive in Africa’s most populous nation.

“For those that do businesses, business is not like usual. They will go to the market. In fact the fear of the pandemic is still on. Everybody is still scared. I don’t know this person. Ah! Social distancing! I don’t know if this person is a carrier. So the fear of the COVID is still here”, said civil servant civil servant, Bakare Oluwatoyin

Lawal Lukman has seen no change, he said. He thinks this is ‘‘because the economy is still down.’‘

“There is no money, there is nothing. It’s not everybody that can go out. Like me, now, I work with a vendor company. We normally supply drinks to the party. And currently, as I am talking to you, there is nobody that can do party in this country”, Lukman said.

The government announced a distribution of food aid to the poorest neighbourhoods. But residents here say they have not received any support.

“They came to collect all the information, and said they were gonna give people some things to manage. More than a month now. They just came, write names, and write numbers. We have not seen them until now”, church administrator, Abiodun Fagurela said.

As of Friday May 22, the Lagos State has recorded 3,093 COVID-19 cases, 582 recoveries and 40 fatalities. In Nigeria, a total of 7,016 cases have been registered.