Rural Women and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ogun State, Nigeria: An Empirical Study

The dynamics of COVID-19 were sudden, unexpected, and unprepared for by Nigerian citizens and worldwide. This paper examines the experience of rural women in the Ibogun community, Ogun State, Nigeria, and their perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilised both primary and secondary data sources. Seventy-seven (77) copies of questionnaires were administered using a purposive sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics 25) was used to analyse collected data. Findings revealed that the Ibogun community's rural women have adjusted and adapted to the mitigating rules and directives of government towards containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results further showed that there had been no occurrence of risk and exposure to the COVID-19 disease in the Ibogun community, which is due to strong adherence to the mitigation rules. It is also noted that government presence in providing supportive items or access to those items was problematic. Furthermore, the lockdown, social distancing and use of facemask were difficult for women in the community to adhere to strictly. The inferential analysis revealed a significant relationship between income and compliance with coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures. Finally, policy and planning implications are provided with recommendations for improved intervention