Consequently, employers of labour have been responding in various ways including by slashing wages of employees and also allowing dozens and hundreds of them walk through the exit door in extreme cases.
As COVID-19 continues to shake human existence to its foundation, the effects have been felt in almost every aspect of everyday life.
Apart from the impact on the health of individuals and households, the pandemic has equally crippled businesses and brought the economies of nations to a halt.
Consequently, employers of labour have been responding in various ways including by slashing wages of employees and also allowing dozens and hundreds of them walk through the exit door in extreme cases.
While the sudden loss of jobs has demoralised many individuals and left them worried about what tomorrow holds, some others appear to have accepted the reality, devising different ways to respond to the situation.
For example, a bank worker, who was sacked on Thursday at a Lagos branch of Access Bank, told SaharaReporters that he has accepted the situation in good faith and decided to move on with life.
A graduate of Agriculture, the young man is already finalising plans to set up a garri processing business, which he believes will perform well considering the demand for the item in many parts of the country.
Barely able to save anything meaningful from the N75,000 a month salary he earned as a cashier at Access Bank before his sack, the young man is already raising funds needed to set up the business through the benevolence of family members and friends.
For him, it was the best way to respond to the disappointment of losing his job at this very critical period.
He said, "I am trying to start a garri packaging business since I lost my job at Access Bank.
“I didn’t really save much because my salary as a cashier was N75,000. For the garri packaging business idea, I know a place in Ogun State where the women produce quality garri.
"So, I am sourcing for funds from family members and friends to support me to start packaging the garri for sale in large quantity." [story_link align="left"]80301[/story_link]
A staff of Cornerstone Insurance, who also recently lost his job, said he would be embracing some online courses to upgrade his knowledge on certain subjects and prepare for the next job opportunity.
According to him, he received an email from the company's Human Resources Department that those of them, who are contract staff, were no longer needed.
It was a terrible news that has invariably pushed him to devise a way to respond to the reality on the ground.
Explaining his next move, he said, "I will also put my CV out but no company is recruiting for now.
“I am a bit confused because nobody knows when this COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end."
A young lady, who also lost her job recently following the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country, said she has moved on from the initial shock to start dealing in waist beads for females.
She said, "I hope to concentrate on my selling of waist beads while looking for a better offer."
Following the massive sack going on across various sectors of the Nigerian economy, experts have called on the National Assembly to speed up the passage of the proposed Labour Act (Amendment) Bill 2019 so as to criminalise employing workers on casual basis beyond six months.