As a result of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, governments around the world are taking measures, some of them extreme, to ensure the safety of their citizens. Individual rights and liberties have been curtailed the world over to slow the spread of the virus, and Nigeria is not an exception.
As at 7 May 2020, the information from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) official website was that there were 3526 confirmed cases, 107 deaths and 601 discharged persons in Nigeria. Surprisingly, a reasonable number of persons residing in the country still doubt the factuality of the existence of the virus. This unfortunate situation was made clearer by the results of a poll conducted on 9 April 2020 by The Vanguard on Twitter and Facebook asking the question “Do you believe Coronavirus is in Nigeria”. Of the 18, 789 readers who responded to the poll, about 33% were of the opinion that the virus did not exist in Nigeria.
The widespread doubt has led to agitations, from members of the public, for government to reveal the identities of individuals who have tested positive for the virus. The proponents of these agitations have made it clear that the only way that they will be convinced of the reality of the virus is if the identity of the COVID -19 patients are publicly disclosed.
