The campaign against COVID-19 in Nigeria: exploring church leaders’ role perception and action

ABSTRACT Due to the constructive roles religious leaders played during previous pandemics, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations have outlined the roles expected of religious leaders in the current campaign against COVID-19. However, during previous pandemics, some religious leaders also undermined public-health measures. Thus, it is important to understand what religious leaders think of the expectations of health organizations, as well as their responses to the pandemic. This study explored church leaders’ role perception and action towards COVID-19 in Nigeria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eighteen church leaders from Catholic, Anglican, and Pentecostal churches. Using a thematic analysis method, the study found that while all the participants agreed to have roles in the campaign against COVID-19, interpretations of these roles and the corresponding actions differed between those who promote public-health measures and those who undermine these measures. Implications of findings for policy and research are discussed.