Muslim Humanitarian Actors and Philanthropy During COVID-19: The Nigerian Experience

Abstract

This article examines the various activities that Muslim humanitarian actors (MUHAs) embarked on in Nigeria during tumultuous times with specific reference to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and especially during the lockdown period. Due to total lockdown and enforcement of several COVID-19 protection protocols, there were impositions of stringent public health measures in almost every country, including border closures. Drawing on qualitative data from Nigeria (2020–2022), this research conducted a total of 23 interviews—13 key informant interviews (KIIs) with leaders of some MUHAs and 10 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with humanitarian service recipients across the nation. It analyzed the various activities of some Muslim actors in Nigeria, bringing out the actors’ motivations, sources of funds, categories of beneficiaries, networks and partnerships, problems, and prospects. It also teases out the challenges that the COVID-19 lockdown posed as well as the opportunities that it presented vis-à-vis Muslim humanitarian activism in the Global South. Among the services the MUSAs offered were the distribution of both raw and cooked food, face masks, hand sanitizer, sanitary pads, detergent, soap, tissue paper, and mosquito nets, among other daily essentials. They also sponsored enlightenment campaigns; distributed pamphlets, fliers, billboards, and hand bills; and paid advocacy visits to stakeholders. Finally, the article provides policy recommendations on how to address the problems hampering the Muslim humanitarian actors from effective service delivery. We recommend, among others, the need for MUHAs in Nigeria to pay attention to capacity building, especially grant-writing workshops to meet international donors' requirements, professionalization training, and networking. Also, the United Nations should establish an Interfaith Dialogue Platform that to bring together faith leaders from diverse backgrounds for knowledge sharing as well as common goals and challenges. This can help build trust and foster cooperation among different faith communities, especially in Nigeria where religious crises often happen.