CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Corona virus’s global influence has been thoroughly documented. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak a pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, cases had been confirmed in over 203 nations, regions, or territories as of December 2020. (WHO, 2020).
The emergence of this virus in Nigeria resulted in a slew of limitations across the board, as the virus was declared communicable and lethal by the World Health Organization.
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious disorders such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (MERS).
Originally, these viruses were passed from animals to humans. SARS, for example, was spread from civet cats to humans, whereas MERS was spread from a camel to humans. Several coronaviruses that have not yet infected people are circulating in animals. The coronavirus epidemic is spreading over the world, and countries are scrambling to stop it.
Nigeria confirmed its first case on February 27 in Lagos State, where an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria returned from Milan, Italy on February 25 through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, fell ill on February 26 and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing.
The federal government imposed limitations on academic institutions, enterprises, social gatherings, religious organizations, human movements, transportation corporations, and all sectors of transportation in Nigeria in attempt to contain the virus’s spread. The road transportation limits are in place to help the industry maintain its operations, as it is an important aspect of the country’s economy.
The restrictions include: only carrying a maximum of 50% of passenger capacity to avoid close human contact; having spare buses on standby to handle peak demand (to ensure maximum loadings of 50%); increasing the cleaning of commonly touched surfaces in vehicles; ensuring staff maintain social distance in common areas (i.e. meal rooms); and ensuring that every employee wears a face mask. However, due to the huge number of transportation businesses and government agencies’ administrative inefficiencies, there has been no clear picture of the rate of compliance and adherence to the COvid-19 restrictions imposed on the transportation industry. As a result, the purpose of this study is to assess and investigate the rate at which transportation companies adhere to the COVID-19 regulations in terms of safety.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Covid-19 has the potential to wipe out a whole nation. The main strategy to curb the spread is to impose concrete restrictions or preventative measures.
Since the virus’s first outbreak in Nigeria, the government has required massive preventative efforts in all areas of the economy, including transportation. Constant hand washing, wearing a face mask, maintaining social distance, and using hand sanitizers are among the several safety measures put in place to prevent the spread of this epidemic. However, the transportation sector has been subjected to increased limitations, which have had a direct impact on its operations. Due to this restriction, they were unable to transport the regular amount of passengers in their vehicles. It should be mentioned that in Nigeria, law breaking is nearly the norm, and government instructions are not fully followed because there is no continual and severe oversight, which is a result of government agencies’ ineffectiveness and inefficiency. As a result, the goal of this research is to find out how well transportation companies follow the COvid 19 safety orders, preventions, and limits.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study’s main or most important goal is to see how well transportation companies follow Covid 19 safety standards and limits. Other specific objectives include:
To see if transportation businesses are adhering to Covid 19 safety regulations.
To see how well transportation companies obey to government orders in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
To examine the extent to which Government enforcement agencies carry out their supervisory roles in ensuring complete compliance to Covid-19 prevention measures by transport companies.
To investigate if there is a constant use of face mask and hand sanitizers in transports companies in Abuja.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Do transportation companies abide with the Covid 19 regulations?
How well do transportation companies follow Covid 19’s requirements and restrictions?
To what extent do transportation businesses ensure that government orders to prevent the spread of Covid 19 are followed?
To what extent do government enforcement agencies carry out their supervisory roles in ensuring that transport companies fully comply with Covid 19 prevention measures?
Is there constant use of face mask and hand sanitizers in transports companies in Abuja?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be of enormous value to the federal and state governments because it will reveal the current state of compliance by transportation companies, as well as the gaps that enforcement agencies create, resulting in irregular adherence to COVID-19 rules and restrictions. And the recommendations will have a significant impact on how the restrictions are tightened. The general public, students, and scholars will benefit from this work as a source of information or academic material.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study will only look at Abuja, the federal capital territory, and the state of safety compliance with COVID-19 rules by transport companies in Abuja, with Akwa Ibom Transport Company, Jabi as a case study.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Covid-19, commonly known as coronavirus, is a contagious respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus strain that causes illness in people.
The act of obeying and observing what is authorized and legal is known as compliance.
Transportation Company: A transportation company transfers freight from one point to another and is an important part of the manufacturing value chain.
Government: The body of people who make up a political unit’s or organization’s governing authority: for example, the officials who make up a political unit’s governing body and make up the organization as an active agency.
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