Influence of Covid-19 Pandemic Lock Down on the Socio- Economic Activities of Some Selected Artisans in Benin Metropolis

Lock down measures employed by many countries including Nigeria to minimize the spread of COVID-19 almost crumbled the economic activities in the world. Many economic activities including Small and Medium Scale Enterprises were negatively affected. However, some were more negatively affected than others due to the kind of services they rendered. During the lock down, people still visited the saloon to make their hair, fixed their vehicles, repaired their generating sets and mended their leaking roofs among others. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of COVID-19 pandemic lock down on the socio economic activities of selected artisans in Benin metropolis. The ex-post facto research design was used to carry out the study and the population of the study was 2,840 artisans operating in Edo State. The sample size was 284, representing 10% of the population. A structured interview was the instrument used for data collection. The research questions were answered with mean (x) statistics. It was found out that COVID -19 pandemic lock down had positive influence on the socio economic activities of motor vehicle mechanics and generator repairers. Whereas it had negative influence on the socio economic activities of building services providers and the hair stylists. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that citizens of Nigeria should acquire vocational and technical skills that could provide additional means of lively hood even during pandemics.