Nigeria, like most other developing countries, finds herself in perilous times faced with a twin-threat; the health crisis emanating from the COVID-19, and an economic crisis with an already rapidly contracting fiscal space amidst a global recession. Commendable efforts to contain the virus at home are certainly underway and intensions behind policy decisions are well reasoned and used elsewhere.

 However, literal implementation of measures pioneered elsewhere may instead clash with the fundamentals that drive the country’s unique economic and social structures and could disproportionately impact its most vulnerable populations.

This brief focuses on the potential short-term implications of the country’s lockdown policy on its vulnerable populations.