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Beyond being a public health crisis, a disease outbreak often mirrors the deeper sociopolitical and economic struggles within a society. Nigeria recorded the highest COVID-19 morbidity and mortality figures in West Africa, yet stark subnational variations were evident across the country. This raises a critical question: What does the geography of the pandemic reveal about the strengths and fault lines of Nigerian society? Adopting an eclectic methodological approach—combining disease mapping, contextual reflection, interviews, archival/library research, and online ethnography—this study analysed diverse data sources including newspapers, morbidity reports, and disease maps. The findings demonstrate that COVID-19 in Nigeria was not merely a public health emergency but a crisis of multiple forms that exposed the nation’s institutional weaknesses, governance failures, and social inequities.
Tolulope Osayomi (Medical Geography, Ibadan University; TORCH International Fellow, University of Oxford)
