THE ROLE OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) IN FIGHTING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic posed significant health, economic, and social challenges across the world, including Nigeria. This study examines the role of the World Health Organization in supporting Nigeria’s efforts to combat the pandemic. The research focuses on the strategies, interventions, and collaborative measures implemented by the WHO in partnership with the Nigerian government and health institutions to control the spread of the virus. Key areas examined include public health awareness campaigns, disease surveillance, healthcare support, provision of medical equipment, training of healthcare workers, vaccination programs, and policy guidance. The study adopts a qualitative research approach using secondary data obtained from official reports, journals, publications, and credible online sources related to COVID-19 management in Nigeria. Findings reveal that the WHO played a vital role in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare response system through technical assistance, emergency preparedness, funding support, and dissemination of preventive health information. The organization also contributed significantly to testing capacity development, risk communication, and coordination of international health responses during the pandemic. Despite these efforts, challenges such as inadequate healthcare infrastructure, misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and limited resources affected the effectiveness of pandemic management in some areas. The study concludes that the WHO’s interventions greatly assisted Nigeria in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and improving public health resilience. It recommends increased investment in healthcare infrastructure, stronger collaboration between international organizations and local health agencies, and improved public health education to better prepare for future health emergencies.