Public Trust and the Management of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of the Legislature

Abstract

Government’s ability to harness public trust is crucial for managing the COVID-19 pandemic and resolving the crisis. This brief takes a look at what drives the widespread skepticism about government's coronavirus response and messaging in Nigeria. More than one hundred and nine million confirmed cases of COVID-19 with about two million, four hundred and thirteen thousand nine hundred and twelve (2,413,912) deaths and still counting have been reported from 191 countries and regions of the world, as the figure spiral every day1. As the world contends with this health crisis, the yawning gap in trust and accountability between Nigerians and the Nigerian state have undermined the efforts of the government to mitigate the spread of the pandemic in the country. Many citizens consider the pandemic a hoax, some describing it as a ‘rich man’s disease’, while others see it as another conspiracy by politicians to loot the treasury. During the height of the pandemic, Nigerians are consistently playing 5-aside football, going to clubs, congregating for worship, doing businesses in the markets and elsewhere with little or no adherence to the NCDC Protocols. At the initial, Nigerians questioned the governance of the various donations and palliative programmes of the federal government. Many seek for transparent account of how the funds and other materials donated by Nigerians, corporate organisations and the international community have been utilised by the State and its agencies. Unfortunately, scandalous looting of palliatives stockpiled by various State governments during the #Endsars protest fueled the distrust and allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation. Citizens’ trust in the affairs of the state has remained a major setback in the state management of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as reviewed. Essentially, the pandemic and its management by the machineries of the state dusted decades of public trust questions on the handlers of state institutions. To bridge the gap on such breach of trust, the legislature as the major representative of the citizen has a critical role to play. Therefore, as the country expects the Vaccine by the end of February, 2021, there is an urgent need to manage the crises of citizens-state trust issue using the actions of the legislature