CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ON INDIGENT HOUSEHOLDS IN IBEWA COMMUNITY, ONELGA, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated the socioeconomic impact of coronavirus lockdown in Ibewa community, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State. The socio-ecological resilience theory served as the theoretical framework while the cross-sectional design was used for the study. Both probability (stratified, simple random) and non-probability(purposive) sampling techniques were used for the sampling procedures. Quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (Seven focus groups) were used in gathering primary data. Also, Cronbach Alpha was used to measure the reliability of instrument(s). On the basis of data collection, twenty-two (22) respondents were randomly selected from the seven (7) household groups that were already in strata (7×22=154). Data collected for the study were analyzed with univariate (mean), bivariate(chi-square) and multivariate (multinomial/linear logistics regression) statistic(s) with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 23.0. Based on analysis, the study discovered that lockdown led to human right abuse, economic hardship, deviant behavior among others. In view of these findings, the study recommended that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development should design an economic recovery plan for indigent households. Also, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control should propose a legislative framework that will curb price hike of essential commodities during disease outbreak.


INTRODUCTION
Coronavirus (also known as  is rebooting the universe with massive socioeconomic adjustments to urban and rural settings. The novel virus has kept life in suspense with "stay at home" directive aimed at flattening the curve. The general chorus is "stay at home to save lives". Lin et al. (2020) reported that lockdown are the severest sanctions enforced by countries plagued by Covid-19. Thus, words like social distancing, social isolation, self-isolated, self-isolating, self-isolation, self-quarantine, self-quarantined, shelter-in place, flatten the curve, elbow bump, lockdown, non-essential, ventilator, corona, disinfect, postpone, outbreak, working from home, face mask and palliative have dominated the media space. According to Adom, Adu-Mensah and Sekyere (2020), indigent groups that constitute 'hand to mouth work culture' will experience severe economic shock from lockdown. The vulnerability status of most households defies resilient capacities during lockdown.
It is noteworthy to emphasize that security operative under the guise of enforcing lockdown, are reportedly violating human right(s). Nigeria Covid-19 task force brutalize, intimidate and destroy goods which are the main source of income for vulnerable households on daily basis (Human Right Watch, 2020). According to Olarewaju (2020), in terms of occupational proportions from a household perspective, 41.4% of household members are selfemployed, 26.5% are paid employed, 2.8% are employers of labour, 15.7% are unemployed, while 13.6% are nonactive in the labour force. This implies that the lockdown order by the government will certainly impair on the economic wellbeing of majority households. This problem is further complicated with the rising rate of food shortage among indigent households. Punch News (2020), reported that it is prohibitive to buy, sell or even work during lockdown. This has led to food shortage among indigent households. It is against this backdrop that this study is armed with the challenge of investigating the socioeconomic impact of coronavirus lockdown on indigent households, with reference to Ibewa Community, that experienced lockdown with no apparent palliatives to boost the resilient capacities of indigent households.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• To investigate the impact of coronavirus lockdown on human right abuse; • To discover the economic effects of coronavirus lockdown on households; • To find out the impact of coronavirus lockdown on deviant behaviour; • To measure the impact of Covid-19 palliatives on households during lockdown.

H01:
There is no significant relationship between Increase in price of food stuffs and Covid-19 Lockdown.

DEFINITION OF TERMS
• Coronavirus: This refers to a global pandemic disease that emerged in 2019. The symptoms are breathing difficulty, dry cough, tiredness, fever among others.
• Deviant Behaviour: These refers to acts that are socially prohibitive within a given society. 10 | Ekpenyong and Omere, 2020 OJSSH 1(2) • Palliative: These refers to food items, pharmaceuticals, health care, cash gift and other items provided by government or non-governmental organizations with the sole aim of increasing adaptability or response of indigent households to coronavirus during lockdown.
• Resilience: Resilience is the capacity of individual or group to adapt or respond to unfamiliar, unexpected events and extreme shocks (Folke, 2006). It is a strategy for dealing with uncertainties, particularly the distribution of palliative to indigent/ vulnerable households during lockdown.
• Socioeconomic: This refers to the general wellbeing of vulnerable groups during lockdown.

THEORITICAL LITERATURE
The study anchored its argument based on socio-ecological resilience theory. Social-ecological resilience, which has its origin from the works of Holling (1973), Folke (2006) is the capacity to adapt or transform in the face of change in social-ecological systems, particularly unexpected change like coronavirus pandemic, in ways that continue to support human well-being (Chapin et al., 2010;Biggs, Schlüter & Schoon, 2015). Such unexpected changes include Corona pandemic. According to Walker, Holling, Carpenter and Kinzig (2004), adaptability refers to human actions that sustain, innovate, and improve development on current pathways, while transformability is about shifting development into new pathways and even creating novel ones. It is an anthropogenic method of adapting to uncertainties in order to achieve defined objectives (Walker, Abel, Anderies & Ryan, 2009). In the same vein, it implies the ability of groups or communities to cope with external stresses and disturbances as a result of social, political and environmental changes. Furthermore, Frankenberger (2013) posits that disturbance could be a collective shock shared by a large group of people (covariate shock) or a shock experienced only within a given household or community (idiosyncratic shock). In addition, Colding and Berkes (2002) argues that changes in socio-ecological system are rather inevitable to some extent and they allow resilient possibilities to develop it capacities and reorganizing itself to match with new circumstances, hence he describe social resilience as the necessity of human systems to learn to manage by change and implies that "uncertainty and surprise are part of the game" (Folk, 2006).
During the period of coronavirus lockdown, the palliatives provided by policy makers and natural support system existing among vulnerable groups can help such groups adjust positively to the pandemic and become resilient to change.
The lockdown has terribly affected and still affecting the lives of those at the grassroot, particularly rural dwellers who make ends meet on daily basis (Premium Times, 2020). Also, the provision and equitable distribution of coronavirus palliatives during lockdown will enable vulnerable citizens and dependent population to be resilient.
This will help indigent household groups adjust positively to the socio-economic effects of lockdown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. According to Uzobo, Aboluwaji, Ayinmoro and Akhuetie (2016), research design is a blue print or structure with which research is conducted. Ajoku (2006) opined that cross sectional design is very useful in gathering data from different individuals at a given point in time. Therefore, it is economical to adopt cross sectional design in the period of coronavirus lockdown. Because, it enables the researcher to take a cross section of the study population at once. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting Ibewa Community, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. Ibewa community was selected because majority of households were indigent and not resilient to the lockdown. Furthermore, a stratified sampling technique was used to classified Ibewa community into strata, reflecting (7) seven households which are: (1) Umu-Obi, (2) Umu-Azaga, (3) Umu-Anya, (4) Umu-Ohuo, (5) Umu-Ebulu, (6) Umu-Obii, (7) Umu-Ube. Also, simple random sampling technique was used to select the names of twenty-two (22) respondents from each household groups. The sample size becomes = 154 (22 x 7). The study sample frame comprises both male and female sexes aged 18 years and above.
Quantitative data for this study was gathered using structured questionnaire while focus group schedule with the aid of recorder was used in gathering qualitative data (Uzobo, et al., 2016). The questionnaire was structured on the basis of 4-point Likert measurement scale. The criterion mean is 2.50. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed with narrative technique. Lastly, quantitative data were analysed with mean, chi-square and linear regression with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0.

RESULTS AND FINDINGS
One hundred and fifty-four (154) copies of questionnaire were distributed to seven household groups that constitute Ibewa community. It is noteworthy that all copies of questionnaire distributed where retrieved and found valid for the study. Therefore, analysis was based on the (154=100%) retrieved copies of questionnaire and seven (7) focus groups.      Further probing by researcher revealed a consensus assertion from focus group participants as thus:

"How can we feed our children when we stay at home and don't go to work" FGD5/Umu-Obii Household.
Based on the criterion mean=2.50, table (4) above revealed high rate of deviant behaviour in the research locale within the period covered by the study. A focus group discussion with participants reveals thus:

"We are now experiencing cassava theft in our farmland" FGD/6/Umu-Ube Household.
In the same vein, a focus group discussion with participants drawn from Umu-Ohuo household reveals that: "Hunger virus makes people to steal foodstuffs not coronavirus" FGD/7/Umu-Ohuo Household.

H01:
There is no significant relationship between Increase in price of food stuffs and Covid-19 Lockdown.    (2020) also predicted a negative impact of lockdown on global economies. In the market, traders were taking undue advantage of lockdown to hike the price of essential commodities. A focus group participant suggested that a basin of garri (cassava flour) that was sold at #4,000 before the lockdown was sold at #12,000 during lockdown. This corroborated with the findings of Adom eta I. (2020) that during lockdown, most traders took undue advantage by increasing the price of foods stuffs. There was also job loss, because farming which served as the dominant occupation of indigent households was put to hold (Liu, Zhou & Li, 2020;Lin et al., 2020;WHO, 2019).
Thirdly, there were new forms of deviance behaviour during lockdown. A focus group participant suggested that in "Akabuka market" a female trader fought a police officer. This was because the trader insisted on selling her goods during lockdown. The study has also shown how lockdown led to anomie as conceptualized by Merton (1965).
This is in relation to the ban on human and vehicular movement which affected farming occupation of indigent households. Another focus group participant suggested that they have never witnessed this kind of hardship where thieves go to farmland in daylight to harvest cassava and sell in the market.
Finally, the study has shown that Covid-19 palliatives provided by government are beans, yams, rice, noodles, pepper, onion, spaghetti and etcetera. However, a focus group participant suggested that they received just little foods stuffs. Another focus group participant responded that in a family of seven, they received just two noddle (s) and two cups of rice as Covid-19 palliatives. This affirms the finding of Azumah (2020) that there were unfair distribution of food and grocery packages by the government to their party members during lockdown.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDSD) should design an economic recovery plan for indigent households that lost their source of income during lockdown. This will help to cushion the economic effects of the lockdown and enhance general resilience. Also, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) should fashion a legislative framework that will monitor human right abuse, police brutality and regulate price of essential commodities during disease outbreak. Kahneman, Knetsch, and Thaler (1986) recommend public condemnation and shaming of companies that callously profiteer citizens through surge pricing during emergencies. These approaches when adopted by the Nigerian government would ensure that the indigent households will be resilient to economic hardship associated with future lockdown.

LIMITATION
The researcher (s) experienced challenges in visiting the head of households to seek for consent before the field work.
This was due to the ban on movement (shelter -in place) during lockdown.

CONCLUSION
The study investigated coronavirus lockdown and socio-economic impact on indigent households. The study has shown that lockdown led to human right abuse (s), as goods belonging to indigent traders were destroyed by Covid-19 task force. The study also revealed key factors that made it difficult for indigent households to cope with lockdown.
Also, the study has shown how lockdown led to food shortage, increase in price of foods stuffs among others. Thus, leading to new forms of deviant behaviour. It was shown how pocket of violence and theft increased during lockdown.
In recognition of zero resilient capacity of indigent households, Nigerian government chose to cushion the economic effects of lockdown by distributing Covid-19 palliative. The study has also shown how indigent households benefited