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Reflections on COVID-19: Public Health, State Fragility and Failure in Nigeria
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.
Commentator: Utsa Bose (History, University of Oxford)
Date:
4 December 2025, 17:15
Venue:
St Cross College, St Giles OX1 3LZ
Venue Details:
Seminar Room
Speakers:
Dr Tolulope Osayomi (AfOx-TORCH Visiting Fellow, Oxford; University of Ibadan),
Utsa Bose (History, Oxford)
Organising department:
St Cross College
Organiser:
Dr Alberto Giubilini
Organiser contact email address:
alberto.giubilini@uehiro.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Dr Alberto Giubilini (The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics)
Part of:
Public Health Humanities at St Cross
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://forms.office.com/e/zeQnrh4w1y
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Alberto Giubilini
