State Power and Public Health: Noso-Politics and the Authoritarian Medicalization of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Kelechi Johnmary Ani ORCID iD & Lawson Onyema Chukwu ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.6 No.11 Article 1  pp.2745 – 2754
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256112 | Published online 23rd October, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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From time immemorial, the outbreak of pandemics has been met with emergency safety measures to stop transmissions. The purpose of the study is to outline the relationship between state power and public health in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety measures, justified by state powers as mechanisms to protect citizens, were sometimes enforced through coercive means. However, this paper critically examines the biopolitics of COVID-19 containment measures in Nigeria through the lens of Michel Foucault’s Noso-politics, highlighting the intersection of state authority and public health. The study employs a secondary research design, utilizing existing publications to develop its content. Additionally, the paper explores the centralized decision-making process of COVID-19 control strategies and the use of state force to ensure compliance. While these strategies were essential for safeguarding public health, the paper found that political elites exploited the Pandemic to strengthen social inequalities, resulting in widespread economic hardship and public discontent. It recommends a citizen-centred approach that reaches out to people with low incomes and neglected Nigerians in isolated parts of the country. Ultimately, the paper will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on health policy and human security in the country.

Keywords: Public health, politics, COVID-19, Nigeria

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Thanduxolo Albert Nomtshongwana serves as a lecturer at the Faculty of Education at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha, located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. In his current role, he specializes in continuing professional teacher development, where he is dedicated to enhancing the skills and competencies of teachers. His research focuses on educational leadership and management, specifically understanding teachers’ stressors in psychological education. By exploring educational dynamics, he aims to address teachers’ challenges and enhance teaching practices and student outcomes.

Andrea Mqondiso Buka is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education in the continuing professional teacher development at Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. His research focuses on inclusive education and educational management and policy, especially psycho-pedagogical research.

Dr Pateka Pamella Jama is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Education at North-West University, Potchefstroom campus. Her fields of specialisation are Inclusive Education and Learner Support.

Ani, Kelechi Johnmary, and Lawson Onyema Chukwu.“ State Power and Public Health: Noso-Politics and the Authoritarian Medicalization of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 10 (2025): 2745 – 2754, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256112

© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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