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Key findings
  • Three in 100 Nigerians (3%) say a member of their household became ill with COVID-19 or tested positive for the virus, while almost three in 10 (28%) say someone in their household lost a job, business, or primary source of income due to the pandemic.
  • Close to four in 10 Nigerians (37%) say they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • A majority (56%) of Nigerians say the government has done “fairly well” or “very well" in managing the response to the pandemic.

The economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not spared Nigeria. The country reported its first COVID-19 case in February 2020 (Federal Ministry of Health, 2020) and has subsequently suffered three distinct waves of infection, peaking in June 2020, January 2021, and August 2021 (Lain & Vishwanath, 2021).

Despite containment and public sensitisation measures coordinated by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the virus spread throughout all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The country had reported 256,573 confirmed cases and 3,144 deaths as of 20 June 2022, and had administered about 46.4 million vaccine doses to 27.4 million people (World Health Organization, 2022).

Following a full lockdown starting on 30 March 2020, Nigeria’s economy has reopened gradually, with incremental reductions in restrictions on travel and public gatherings (International Monetary Fund, 2021). But the economic impact of COVID-19 has been severe in a country where only 4% of the poorest 40% of households had access to any form of social safety net program before the pandemic (World Bank, 2019). As Lain and Vishwanath (2021) reported, “in the later stages of the COVID-19 crisis, even though economic activities began to recover, inflation started to accelerate, eroding purchasing power, especially for food items that are crucial for consumption among the poor and vulnerable citizens.”

A new Afrobarometer survey in Nigeria shows that more than one-fourth of Nigerian households lost a primary source of income due to the pandemic, while only about one in 10 received pandemic-related assistance from the government.

While a majority of Nigerians are satisfied with the government’s overall handling of the pandemic, they are critical of the government’s assistance efforts, and most believe that COVID-19 resources have been lost due to corruption.

A majority of Nigerians remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, and about one-third of all adults say they are unlikely to accept the vaccine.

Fewer than half of citizens think their government will be ready for future health emergencies, and a majority want the government to invest more in preparation for such crises, even at the cost of other health services.

Sunday Duntoye

Sunday is the data manager for NOI Polls

Raphael Mbaegbu

Raphael is a project manager for NOI Polls