The Necessity of Suspicion: Treading with Caution through a Nigerian Medical Landscape

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic came to magnify issues that were already an intrinsic part of the Nigerian medical landscape. Growing out of historical processes, uncertainty, ambiguity, doubt, vigilance, and suspicion have become intensely manifest characteristics of everyday engagements in Nigeria. In their search for cures, protection, and health, people have learnt to always keep open a critical and sceptical eye – to never assume that things are what they appear to be – to continuously presume that ulterior and less benevolent motives might be in play. Suspicion – as a vigilant and sceptical mode of interacting with the world – has become intrinsic to the pursuit of safe ways forward. By entering the Nigerian medical landscape in the wake of the coronavirus, this article unravels how suspicion through historical processes has become an inherent and necessary, as well as sound, aspect of navigating the emergent Nigerian medical landscape.

Keywords

• Anthropology
• Covid-19
• medicine
• Nigeria
• poison
• suspicion