COVID-19 and the Case for Universal Basic Income in Nigeria

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there were about 12,486 confirmed cases in Nigeria as of 7 June 2020. Although government has commissioned new isolation centres in some states, the pace of testing is still very slow in Nigeria compared to other African countries like Ghana and South Africa. This highlights the low level of preparedness and severe strain on the health care system that Nigeria faces.

According to researchers, Stephen Parodi and Vincent Liu, containment and mitigation are two responses to an infectious outbreak. The containment phase involves isolating and treating identified cases with effective contact tracing while mitigation focuses on ‘social distancing’, ‘lockdowns’ and other measures that ensure the population is at a reduced risk. In Nigeria, the first known case was from an Italian on a Turkish flight to Nigeria and while the case was effectively contained through contact tracing measures, authorities did not sufficiently consider policy measures to curb the further spread. For instance, many senior political figures went to high-risk countries, came back without being quarantined at points of entry (as in Ghana and Uganda) and went about daily activities, which led to a further spread of the disease and panic. News about their travels—and in some cases infected status—broke out on social media, creating hysteria and more discussions around the politics of COVID-19 testing in Nigeria. The biggest question centred around who gets tested and how many people get tested in a country with vast inequalities like Nigeria, where test kits are scarce and government officials and their wealthy friends who may have had contact with positive colleagues get preferential treatment.